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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Wool, Walnut, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Maple, Burl
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Alabaster
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s South American Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Ash, Acrylic, Velvet, Cotton, Felt, Bouclé, Mohair, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Walnut, Fir, Paper, Oak
2010s European Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
1990s Swedish Modern Furniture
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic, Rubber
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Plaster
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Iron
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ash