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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Laminate, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Tables
Cut Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Marble
2010s American Modern Tables
Resin, Plywood
2010s Canadian Modern Tables
Stone, Marble, Carrara Marble, Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Tables
Seagrass, Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Tables
Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Chrome
2010s African Modern Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Tables
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Oak, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Wood
2010s American Modern Tables
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Brass, Nickel
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Fiberglass
2010s Modern Tables
Copper
2010s American Modern Tables
Art Glass, Walnut
2010s American Modern Tables
Carrara Marble, Gold Leaf
2010s Portuguese Modern Tables
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Slovenian Modern Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Tables
Blown Glass
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Guatemalan Modern Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Tables
Ceramic, Rosewood
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century Modern Tables
Brass
2010s African Modern Tables
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Tables
Metal
2010s European Modern Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Tables
Cane, Teak
2010s Dutch Modern Tables
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Tables
Wood
2010s British Modern Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Tables
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Tables
Plywood, Lacquer
2010s Portuguese Modern Tables
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Tables
Maple
2010s Portuguese Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Tables
Glass, Teak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Tables
Leather
2010s Saudi Arabian Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Wood, Maple
2010s Turkish Modern Tables
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Tables
Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Tables
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Wood, Plastic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Tables
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Onyx, Marble, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Iron
Modern tables for sale on 1stDibs.
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