Modern End Tables
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1920s German Vintage Modern End Tables
Marble
1970s French Vintage Modern End Tables
Oak
1990s Italian Modern End Tables
Bentwood
1980s Vintage Modern End Tables
Marble
1990s American Modern End Tables
Plywood
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern End Tables
Chrome
1990s American Modern End Tables
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern End Tables
Plastic
20th Century Modern End Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Modern End Tables
Steel
Mid-20th Century Modern End Tables
Bronze
1960s American Vintage Modern End Tables
Walnut
1960s Danish Vintage Modern End Tables
Ceramic, Teak
1970s French Vintage Modern End Tables
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern End Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern End Tables
Steel
Mid-20th Century Modern End Tables
Lucite
1990s American Modern End Tables
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Modern End Tables
Faux Leather, Wood
20th Century French Modern End Tables
Metal
1970s French Vintage Modern End Tables
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Modern End Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern End Tables
Lucite
1970s Italian Vintage Modern End Tables
Onyx
1980s American Vintage Modern End Tables
Coral, Brass
1990s American Modern End Tables
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern End Tables
Lucite
Early 17th Century American Antique Modern End Tables
Felt, Glass, Mahogany
1960s Italian Vintage Modern End Tables
Ash
1980s Philippine Vintage Modern End Tables
Shell, Wood
Mid-20th Century Modern End Tables
Stone
Late 20th Century American Modern End Tables
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern End Tables
Travertine, Brass
1990s American Modern End Tables
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern End Tables
Fruitwood
1960s American Vintage Modern End Tables
Slate, Metal
1990s American Modern End Tables
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern End Tables
Oak, Burl
1970s Danish Vintage Modern End Tables
Rosewood
1930s Swedish Vintage Modern End Tables
Enamel
Mid-20th Century Modern End Tables
Wicker, Reed
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern End Tables
Composition, Stone
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern End Tables
Marble, Steel, Chrome
1970s American Vintage Modern End Tables
Steel, Brass
20th Century Unknown Modern End Tables
Travertine
1970s Vintage Modern End Tables
Onyx, Brass
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern End Tables
Stone
1990s Moroccan Modern End Tables
Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century American Modern End Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern End Tables
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Modern End Tables
Grasscloth, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Modern End Tables
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern End Tables
Stone, Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern End Tables
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern End Tables
Walnut
1980s American Vintage Modern End Tables
Composition
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern End Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern End Tables
Wrought Iron