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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Steelyard Kitchen Island in White Oak and Blackened Steel Finish
By KLN Studio
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Steelyard kitchen island is made from solid white oak and aluminum plate with a durable and easy to clean blackened steel patterned vinyl. The thick metal plate and stout form of...
Aluminum
Wedge Table, Island, Bar, Serving or Console in Ash with Hand Forged Hardware
By KLN Studio
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Angular slabs of solid ash are joined together with thin strips of cherry in order to form the butcher block style top for the Wedge table. The three small drawers are perfect for st...
Steel
$3,600 / item
Round Wood, Bronze and Concrete Side Table
By Johnny Poux
Located in kingston, NY
Surface tables This collection of petite tables, combine finely shaped tops, tapered cast bronze stems, and concrete bases to compliment any space. Lathe turned wooden tops are be...
Bronze
Modern Coffee Table by Malerba, Wood & Marble, Black Collection, Italy
By Malerba
Located in Munich, Bavaria
Service Table – "Black & More" Collection by Malerba A refined coffee table that masterfully combines contrasting materials and textures. Part of the exclusive "Black & More"...
Marble, Metal
$2,014 / item
Dureza, Coffee Table by Cultivado Em Casa
Located in Geneve, CH
Dureza - coffee table by Cultivado Em Casa. Dimensions: 120 x 60 x 35 cm. Materials: Carbon steel and electrostatic painting. Carbon steel reigns as raw material, guiding both t...
Steel
$5,442 / item
Sisyphean Coffee Table by Panorammma
Located in Geneve, CH
Sisyphean coffee table by Panorammma Materials: wood, tempered glass, silicone holdings. Dimensions: 32.6 x 100 x 100 cm Panorammma is a furniture design atelier based in Mexico...
Glass, Silicone, Wood
$829 / item
Leva 50 - Table by Alva Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Leva 50 - Table by Alva Design Materials: Painted Metal, Stainless Steel Dimensions: 60 x 50 x 32 cm ALVA is a furniture and objects design office, formed by brothers Susana Bastos,...
Metal, Stainless Steel
$1,982 / item
Forma Bistro Table by Kenneth Cobonpue
Located in Geneve, CH
Forma bistro table by Kenneth Cobonpue. Materials: fiberglass, aluminum. Also available in colors: gray and white. Dimensions: 74.5 cm x 70 cm x H 65 cm A contemporary collec...
Aluminum
$13,770 / item
Falcon Server by Egg Designs
Located in Geneve, CH
Falcon server by Egg Designs Dimensions: 53.5 L x 188 D x 82 H cm Materials: Lacquered Mdf, leather Founded by South Africans and life partners, Greg and Roche Dry - Egg is a un...
Leather
$738 / item
Leva 60, Table by Alva Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Leva 60 - Table by Alva Design Materials: Painted metal, stainless steel Dimensions: 643 x 60 x 32 cm ALVA is a furniture and objects design office, formed by brothers Susana Bastos...
Metal, Stainless Steel
$1,075 / item
Leva 40, Table by Alva Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Leva 40 - Table by Alva Design Materials: Painted metal, stainless steel Dimensions: 60 x 40 x 59 cm ALVA is a furniture and objects design office, formed by brothers Susana Bastos,...
Metal, Stainless Steel
$2,500 / set
A Set of 3 Leva, Tables by Alva Design
Located in Geneve, CH
A Set of 3 Leva - tables by Alva Design Materials: Painted Metal, Stainless Steel Dimensions: 643 x 60 x 32, 60 x 50 x 32, 60 x 40 x 59 cm ALVA is a furniture and objects design off...
Metal, Stainless Steel