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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Faux Leather
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Silver Plate, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Mirror
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Silk, Fur, Natural Fiber
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass, Nickel
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Metal, Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Abalone
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Hardwood
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Cotton, Jacquard, Linen, Velvet, Faux Fur
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Elm
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Plywood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Cherry, Oak, Walnut
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cut Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine, Marble
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Porcelain, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Oak, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer