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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
Early 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Earthenware
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century Modern Furniture
Paper
1960s Brazilian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Paint
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Limestone
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
1990s American Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s Irish Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass, Blown Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Silk, Down
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Leather
1970s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
1970s North American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal, Quartz
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century English Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Foam
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1990s British Modern Furniture
Cut Glass
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Pottery
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Masonite
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Wood, Paint
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Aluminum
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Leather, Upholstery, Cane, Rattan
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Glass
1950s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
Early 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Oak
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Glass
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Beech
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century English Modern Furniture
Wood, Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Marble, Steel
1990s American Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Lucite
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Iron
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century Belgian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood