Modern Furniture
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wood, Beech
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
Early 1900s American Antique Modern Furniture
Oak
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century Modern Furniture
Metal, Iron
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plaster
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Laminate, Wood
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Furniture
Lucite, Wood
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Foam
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Bone, Faux Leather
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Stone, Marble
1970s Irish Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Iron
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Paper, Wood
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
20th Century Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Lucite
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1970s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Earthenware
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s Canadian Modern Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Marble
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Earthenware
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paper
Late 20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Trimming, Cherry
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Foam
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood