Modern Sofas
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Swiss Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood, Foam, Faux Leather, Upholstery, Cotton, Bouclé
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s Spanish Modern Sofas
Linen, Hemp
2010s Indian Modern Sofas
Velvet
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Maple
2010s French Modern Sofas
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood, Silk, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
1980s American Vintage Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Bouclé
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
2010s French Modern Sofas
Fabric, Plastic, Foam
1990s French Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s Turkish Modern Sofas
Foam, Hardwood, Bouclé, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
1970s German Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Plastic, Wood
1990s Modern Sofas
Mohair
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Suede, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Marble
2010s American Modern Sofas
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Wood, Foam, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet
2010s English Modern Sofas
Cork
20th Century North American Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Fabric
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Leather
1990s Italian Modern Sofas
Cotton, Foam
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather
2010s American Modern Sofas
Maple, Velvet
2010s Indian Modern Sofas
Velvet