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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Iron
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Bone, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Onyx
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Earthenware
1980s Irish Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Wood, Lacquer
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Wood, Paint
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Leather
20th Century Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
1970s North American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Austrian Modern Furniture
Silver
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Palisander
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
1990s American Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Lucite
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Iron
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century European Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Steel
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century European Modern Furniture
Resin
1940s Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl, Resin
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paint
1960s Brazilian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Slate
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s Finnish Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Resin