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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Steel
2010s American Modern Tables
Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Tables
Ceramic, Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Tables
Oak, Walnut
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Tables
Fiberglass, Ash
2010s Turkish Modern Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Onyx, Marble, Stone
2010s German Modern Tables
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Travertine, Wrought Iron
2010s Spanish Modern Tables
Crystal, Marble, Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Aluminum, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Tables
Brass
2010s American Modern Tables
Brass
2010s American Modern Tables
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Other
1990s Italian Modern Tables
Laminate, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Tables
Blown Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Tables
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Bronze
2010s American Modern Tables
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Aluminum, Bronze, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Tables
Marble, Nickel, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Mahogany, Oak, Walnut
Early 2000s American Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Polish Modern Tables
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Moldovan Modern Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Tables
Metal
2010s American Modern Tables
Oak
2010s Lebanese Modern Tables
Silver, Brass, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Tables
Crystal, Travertine, Marble
1980s Vintage Modern Tables
Metal, Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Tables
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Hardwood
2010s Korean Modern Tables
Acrylic
2010s American Modern Tables
Velvet, Foam, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Stainless Steel
2010s Finnish Modern Tables
Maple
2010s American Modern Tables
Silver Leaf
2010s Spanish Modern Tables
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Tables
Seagrass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Glass, Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Travertine, Marble
Modern tables for sale on 1stDibs.
Read More
Why Drew McGukin’s Colorful Home Differs from Those of His Clients
The New York–based designer has a high-impact style that's all his own, as his loft in the Chelsea Flower District makes abundantly clear.
New Orleans’ Lee Ledbetter Makes Design Magic by Mixing Past and Present
The Louisiana-born and -bred architect talks to 1stdibs about the art of making timeless places that matter.
How a Modernist Hamptons Home on the Water Became the Ideal Weekend Refuge
Damon Liss and Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects collaborated on this serene getaway for a minimalism-minded Manhattan family of four.
Desert Modern Designer Arthur Elrod Finally Gets His Day in the Sun
The Palm Springs interior decorator developed a mid-century style that defined the vacation homes of celebrities and other notables, including Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.
Artelinea, Mexico City’s One-Stop Contemporary Design Shop, Paves the Way for a New Wave of Mexican Designers
Wielding her influence on the international scene, founding partner Andrea Cesarman expands the platform for Mexican artisans.
From the Hamptons to Palm Springs, FormArch’s Homes Embody Both Comfort and Cool
The houses from this New York studio cloak modernist tendencies within what are often more traditional trappings.
Wendy Haworth’s Luminous Spaces Epitomize L.A. Ease
For the California designer, authenticity and the unusual are the keys to cool, timeless interiors.