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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 South African Modern Tables
Brass, Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Tables
Wood
1970s French Vintage Modern Tables
Oak
2010s American Modern Tables
Marble, Aluminum
2010s Brazilian Modern Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Tables
Iron
1980s American Vintage Modern Tables
Lucite
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Wood, Poplar, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Tables
Cast Stone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Tables
Iron
2010s Belgian Modern Tables
Travertine
1980s American Vintage Modern Tables
Goatskin, Wood, Lacquer
2010s South African Modern Tables
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Tables
Stainless Steel
20th Century Modern Tables
Glass
2010s French Modern Tables
Other
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tables
Pyrite, Nickel
2010s Spanish Modern Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Hardwood, Paint
2010s French Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Tables
Limestone
2010s South African Modern Tables
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Tables
Oak, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Mahogany, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Tables
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Tables
Pewter, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Tables
Ash
2010s Turkish Modern Tables
Stone, Metal, Stainless Steel
2010s Danish Modern Tables
Stainless Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Tables
Maple, Walnut
2010s Turkish Modern Tables
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Mahogany, Parchment Paper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Tables
Glass
2010s American Modern Tables
Wood, Rosewood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Tables
Steel, Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Wood
1970s Philippine Vintage Modern Tables
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Moldovan Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Hardwood
2010s Canadian Modern Tables
Wood, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Tables
Blown Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Marble, Onyx
1990s American Modern Tables
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Wood, Teak
20th Century American Modern Tables
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Tables
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Onyx, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble
2010s Greek Modern Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Tables
Brass
Modern tables for sale on 1stDibs.
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