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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Blown Glass
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Canvas
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Rattan
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Iron
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century Hungarian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Mirror
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver Plate, Metal
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper, Linen
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather, Acrylic, Pine
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Crystal
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic, Wood
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Iron
20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Steel
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass, Nickel
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wool
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paper
1990s French Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
1990s American Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Stainless Steel
20th Century German Modern Furniture
Chrome
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Modern Furniture
Metal, Iron
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1960s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1990s French Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century European Modern Furniture
Wood, Canvas
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s North American Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Ash
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Formica
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1940s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
20th Century Canadian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Iron