Modern Furniture
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Afghan Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak, Plywood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Eggshell, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Acrylic
1950s Indian Vintage Modern Furniture
Cane, Teak, Upholstery
2010s British Modern Furniture
Metal, Sheet Metal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s English Modern Furniture
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Plate
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Furniture
Wood, Birch
1990s French Modern Furniture
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Onyx, Statuary Marble, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
1950s European Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Cut Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Furniture
Crystal
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Lacquer, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Macedonian Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Brass
1970s North American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Bronze, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Furniture
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1950s European Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s French Modern Furniture
Stoneware