Modern 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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Travertine, Iron
1930s French Vintage Modern Tables
Brass
2010s American Modern Tables
Plywood, Lacquer
1960s French Vintage Modern Tables
Ceramic, Wood
2010s European Modern Tables
Rattan, Glass, Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Iron
1990s Italian Modern Tables
Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Resin, Lacquer
1980s Vintage Modern Tables
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Acrylic
2010s American Modern Tables
Oak
2010s Turkish Modern Tables
Aluminum, Bronze
2010s Japanese Modern Tables
Steel
1990s Italian Modern Tables
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Tables
Ceramic, Earthenware, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Glass
2010s Canadian Modern Tables
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Brass
2010s North American Modern Tables
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Bronze
2010s American Modern Tables
Oak, Walnut, Hardwood, Maple, Cherry, Ash
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble, Steel
2010s American Modern Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Clay
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Tables
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Tables
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary New Zealand Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Tables
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary New Zealand Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Tables
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Hardwood
1960s German Vintage Modern Tables
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Cement, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Marble, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Tables
Travertine, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Tables
Wood, Maple
2010s American Modern Tables
Concrete, Cement
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Tables
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Plastic
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Steel
2010s American Modern Tables
Wood
20th Century Modern Tables
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Stone, Travertine, Marble, Brass
Modern tables for sale on 1stDibs.
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