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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery
20th Century Modern Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century Indian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Silk
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1960s Greenlandic Vintage Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wood
20th Century Canadian Modern Furniture
Canvas, Wood, Paint
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass, Nickel
20th Century Modern Furniture
Rope, Paint, Paper
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Glass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Concrete
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Plastic
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Iron
1990s American Modern Furniture
Paper
1920s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Velvet
1990s Modern Furniture
Cotton
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1920s Russian Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Composition, Metal, Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Linen
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Metal
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Walnut
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1940s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas, Beech
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century European Modern Furniture
Plastic
20th Century Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Furniture
Leather, Chenille, Rattan
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic
1960s Finnish Vintage Modern Furniture
Birch
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Belgian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Agate, Stone, Marble, Brass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Glass