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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s Danish Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
1990s Spanish Modern Furniture
Fabric
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Persian Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum, Steel
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Multi-gemstone, Silver
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Stone
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Travertine, Chrome
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Pottery
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Crystal, Gold
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Fruitwood
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Belgian Modern Furniture
Canvas
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Cherry
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1940s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Ebony, Rosewood
20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Pine
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass, Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1990s American Modern Furniture
Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Fabric
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Stone, Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Marble
1970s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Stone, Silver
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Onyx
1970s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas, Glass, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Silk
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
1960s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass, Metal, Copper
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut