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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s French Modern Furniture
Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic, Rubber
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Glass, Oak, Wenge
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Swedish Modern Furniture
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Oak
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Furniture
Wool, Linen, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine, Marble
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone, Marble
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass