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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s European Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Wool, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Cotton, Faux Fur, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Silk, Fur, Natural Fiber
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Horn, Plywood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Mirror
2010s French Modern Furniture
Stone
2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Ebony
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Suede
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
2010s English Modern Furniture
Earthenware
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cut Steel
Early 2000s Irish Modern Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut, Maple, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Marble
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ash, Leather, Wood, Foam, Velvet, Linen, Cotton
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Steel
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Copper, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal