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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Argentine Modern Boxes
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Boxes
Ceramic
1970s French Vintage Modern Boxes
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Boxes
Horn, Wood
Late 20th Century Argentine Modern Boxes
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Boxes
Shell, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Laminate, Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Marble
Early 2000s Irish Modern Boxes
Mahogany
1970s American Vintage Modern Boxes
Goatskin, Felt, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Boxes
Stone, Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Crocodile
2010s British Modern Boxes
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Nickel
20th Century French Modern Boxes
Malachite, Bronze
1980s American Vintage Modern Boxes
Stone, Travertine, Marble, Metal, Brass
2010s American Modern Boxes
Leather, Cord
1970s American Vintage Modern Boxes
Metal, Chrome
20th Century French Modern Boxes
Leather, Zebra Hide
Late 20th Century French Modern Boxes
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Boxes
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Polyester, Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Boxes
Coral
Late 20th Century German Modern Boxes
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Boxes
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Boxes
Velvet, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Boxes
Stainless Steel
1990s Japanese Modern Boxes
Silver
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Onyx
2010s American Modern Boxes
Steel, Bronze, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Boxes
Stone, Onyx
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Boxes
Shagreen Stingray
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Boxes
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Modern Boxes
Copper, Enamel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Boxes
Horn, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Boxes
Brass, Enamel
1970s Vintage Modern Boxes
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Boxes
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Lapis Lazuli, Marble
Early 2000s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Boxes
Onyx, Marble, Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Glass, Wood






