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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic, Rubber
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone, Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware, Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Mohair
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet, Trimming, Feathers
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
1930s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
Early 20th Century Swedish Modern Furniture
Terracotta
2010s German Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Faux Bamboo, Rattan
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Leather, Down
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Teak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Faux Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood