Modern Sofa 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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sofa Tables
Travertine, Metal, Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Travertine
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Oak
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofa Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century Dutch Modern Sofa Tables
Metal
20th Century Unknown Modern Sofa Tables
Bamboo, Rattan, Reed
20th Century French Modern Sofa Tables
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sofa Tables
Glass
1990s Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Sofa Tables
Brass, Steel
1960s French Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Stainless Steel
1970s Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Lacquer, Paint
1940s French Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Iron
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Metal
1960s Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Rattan, Reed, Glass, Lacquer
20th Century Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Aluminum
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Formica, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Steel
1990s Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Crystal, Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Sofa Tables
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Steel
Late 19th Century Ukrainian Antique Modern Sofa Tables
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Bronze
Late 19th Century Ukrainian Antique Modern Sofa Tables
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Steel, Iron
Late 20th Century Modern Sofa Tables
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Wood, Lacquer
1990s German Modern Sofa Tables
Metal
1970s French Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Lucite
1980s Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Colombian Modern Sofa Tables
Marble
1970s French Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Modern Sofa Tables
Oak
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Chrome
1970s American Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Goatskin, Wood, Lacquer
1990s Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Brass, Nickel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Steel
20th Century Modern Sofa Tables
Marble, Chrome
Late 20th Century Modern Sofa Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Sofa Tables
Chrome
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Glass, Beech
Mid-20th Century French Modern Sofa Tables
Lava, Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Wood, Lacquer
Late 20th Century Modern Sofa Tables
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Sofa Tables
Acrylic
20th Century American Modern Sofa Tables
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofa Tables
Glass