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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
Late 20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Glass, Lucite
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wicker
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Textile, Fruitwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plexiglass, Acrylic
1990s European Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Zebra Hide, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Leather, Down
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Leather
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone, Marble
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s European Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s British Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Silver Plate, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Oak
1990s French Modern Furniture
Shagreen, Glass, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cherry
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Limestone, Steel