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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s American Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Nickel, Enamel, Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Travertine, Brass, Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Travertine
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Pottery, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete, Cement
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Stone, Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Oak, Paper, Ribbon
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak, Lacquer
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Ebony
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Marble, Granite, Travertine, Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Marble, Onyx, Brass, Gold Leaf, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Leather, Bouclé, Cotton, Velvet, Wood, Wool, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Onyx, Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal, Stainless Steel, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Bouclé, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Leather, Bouclé, Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Nickel, Brass, Bronze, Enamel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Enamel, Nickel, Brass, Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Chrome, Nickel, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber, Synthetic, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble, Onyx, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Marble, Travertine, Onyx, Stainless Steel, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn, Cotton
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass