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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Modern Furniture
Metal, Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1960s Vintage Modern Furniture
Shell
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Oak
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Paint
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak, Cane
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s French Modern Furniture
Wool
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Linen, Silk
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Teak
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver Plate, Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery
Late 20th Century Norwegian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Other
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modern Furniture
Plywood
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Chrome
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Lacquer
1940s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Stone
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Teak
1970s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Rush, Pine, Paint
1990s American Modern Furniture
Composition, Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood, Giltwood, Paper
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Opal
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wood, Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Furniture
Lucite, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1990s American Modern Furniture
Composition, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Pottery
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome