Modern Boxes
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Modern Boxes
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Boxes
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Boxes
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Chrome
Early 2000s Italian Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Ebony
Early 2000s Philippine Modern Boxes
Animal Skin
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Boxes
Ceramic
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Wood, Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Ebony
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Boxes
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Japanese Modern Boxes
Porcelain, Lacquer
1990s American Modern Boxes
Mahogany, Maple, Rosewood, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Copper
1990s French Modern Boxes
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Modern Boxes
Wood
1960s British Vintage Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
Early 2000s French Modern Boxes
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Copper
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes
Coral
2010s Thai Modern Boxes
Faux Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Boxes
Ceramic
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
1970s Philippine Vintage Modern Boxes
Brass
20th Century Philippine Modern Boxes
Bone, Felt
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Shagreen
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Stone
2010s German Modern Boxes
Walnut
2010s Thai Modern Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Boxes
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
1990s Indian Modern Boxes
Metal, Brass, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather
1960s French Vintage Modern Boxes
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Wood
2010s Belgian Modern Boxes
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes
Ceramic, Felt







