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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 English Modern Tables
Walnut
2010s American Modern Tables
Maple
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Stained Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Tables
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Travertine, Stainless Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Tables
Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Tables
Resin, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Tables
Steel, Iron
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Wood
2010s American Modern Tables
Mahogany
2010s Dutch Modern Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Cedar
2010s American Modern Tables
Brass
2010s South African Modern Tables
Copper, Steel
2010s American Modern Tables
Wood, Walnut, Oak, Maple
2010s American Modern Tables
Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Tables
Wood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Tables
Wood, Maple
2010s Canadian Modern Tables
Acrylic, Ash, Oak, Walnut, Fir
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Tables
Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Tables
Walnut
1960s French Vintage Modern Tables
Ceramic, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Tables
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Wood, Birdseye Maple, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Aluminum
2010s Syrian Modern Tables
Tin
2010s Turkish Modern Tables
Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Tables
Walnut
2010s Greek Modern Tables
Metal
2010s Modern Tables
Wood, Bentwood
2010s Portuguese Modern Tables
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Tables
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Tables
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Tables
Oak
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Travertine, Marble
2010s Dutch Modern Tables
Marble
2010s French Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Tables
Stone, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Tables
Wood
2010s American Modern Tables
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Concrete
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Tables
Leather
2010s Turkish Modern Tables
Travertine, Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tables
Burl, Lacquer
2010s Mexican Modern Tables
Stone
2010s American Modern Tables
Wood, Walnut
Late 20th Century Modern Tables
Glass
2010s American Modern Tables
Art Glass, Walnut
1970s American Vintage Modern Tables
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tables
Ebony
2010s Portuguese Modern Tables
Chestnut, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Tables
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Tables
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Marble
2010s Turkish Modern Tables
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tables
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Leather, Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Tables
Teak, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Tables
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Tables
Brass
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.