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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s British Modern Tables
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Tables
Oak
2010s French Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Australian Modern Tables
Glass, Lacquer
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Hardwood
2010s Spanish Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Velvet, Birch, Art Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Tables
Leather, Glass, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Tables
Wood
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Tables
Cocobolo
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Central American Modern Tables
Wood
2010s American Modern Tables
Resin
2010s Belgian Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Belgian Modern Tables
Bronze, Steel
2010s American Modern Tables
Oak
2010s American Modern Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Onyx, Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s French Modern Tables
Birdseye Maple, Oak, Sycamore
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Tables
Ash
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Carrara Marble
2010s Canadian Modern Tables
Other
1990s Italian Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Chrome
2010s Brazilian Modern Tables
Teak
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Tables
Iron
Late 20th Century American Modern Tables
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Tables
Zebra Hide
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Walnut
2010s American Modern Tables
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Tables
Brass, Copper, Bronze
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Tables
Glass, Rosewood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Tables
Stone, Travertine
20th Century American Modern Tables
Slate, Chrome
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Carrara Marble, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Tables
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Tables
Suede, Wood
2010s Danish Modern Tables
Steel
Early 2000s American Modern Tables
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Brass
20th Century French Modern Tables
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Tables
Cement, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Aluminum
2010s German Modern Tables
Maple, Lacquer
Modern tables for sale on 1stDibs.
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