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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 English Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Pine
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic, Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century European Modern Furniture
Leather, Beech
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Paper
1990s German Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century Modern Furniture
Canvas, Wood
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Faux Bamboo
20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Wood
1990s American Modern Furniture
Mohair
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Textile, Fruitwood
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal, Gold, Bronze
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wicker
1990s Swiss Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Textile
20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1990s Swedish Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Silk, Down
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass, Lucite, Plexiglass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Textile
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1990s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plexiglass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Down
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
20th Century English Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal, Gold Plate, Silver
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl, Resin
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Chrome
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1920s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
20th Century Modern Furniture
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Plastic, Acrylic
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Foam, Wood
1930s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Maple
1990s Belgian Modern Furniture
Paint
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
1970s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel