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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Multi-gemstone, Silver
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1990s American Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Lucite
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1990s American Modern Furniture
Glass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Granite
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Majolica
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Paper
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Concrete
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble, Brass
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Modern Furniture
Stone, Composition
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite
1960s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Iron
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper, Linen
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1990s Spanish Modern Furniture
Chrome
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Paint
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Furniture
Leather, Chenille, Rattan
20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Glass, Lacquer, Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Wood, Paint
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Travertine
1930s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Malachite, Onyx, Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper
1990s American Modern Furniture
Linen, Wood
1990s French Modern Furniture
Steel, Nickel
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paint
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Glass
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood