Modern Textiles

MODERN STYLE

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.

Style: Modern

Schumacher x Marie-Chantal Rabbit Print 18 x 12" Pillow in Blush

Modern Textiles

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher x Marie-Chantal Rabbit Print 18 x 12" Pillow in Blush

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Constellation Beaded 20 x 12" Pillow in Black

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher x David Kaihoi Tutsi 24 x 12" Pillow in Ivory Black

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Citrus Garden I/O 18" Pillow in Garden

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher x Marie-Chantal Print 16" Pillow in Ivory

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher x Marie-Chantal Buffalo Embroidered 16 x 12" Pillow in Natural

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher x Marie-Chantal Rabbit Print 18 x 12" Pillow in Blue

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher x Marie-Chantal Rabbit Print 16 x 12" Pillow in Blue

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher x Marie-Chantal Bear Print 14" Pillow in Blush

2010s American Modern Textiles

Blue and Purple Velvet Ball Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Attleboro Ikat 18" Pillow in Blush

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Attleboro Ikat 24" Pillow in Blush

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Attleboro Ikat 20" Pillow in Natural

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Queen of Spain 18" Pillow in Dove

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Attleboro Ikat 22" Pillow in Mineral

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Woodperry 18" Pillow in Aqua

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Ezra Wool 20" Pillow in Basalt

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Iconic Leopard 20" Pillow in Ebony/Natural

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Ezra Wool 18" Pillow in Basalt

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Iconic Leopard 18" Pillow in Ink/Natural

2010s American Modern Textiles

Shearling Ball Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Wentworth Embroidery in Chambray 24 x 12" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Servilia Stripe in Aqua 18 x 12" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Lotus Garden in Mocha 22" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Iconic Leopard in Ink 22 x 14" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Jokhang Tiger Velvet in Blue 18" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Giraldi Embroidery in Black 20 x 13" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Iconic Leopard in Graphite 22" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Coyolate in Ocean 18 x 12" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Billy I/O in Natural 24 x 12" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Iconic Leopard in Ink 20 x 14" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Queen of Spain in Black 20 x 14" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Regalia in Green 18" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Daisey Chain in Primary Multi 22" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Blumont I/O in Blue 24" x12" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Acanthus Stripe in Sand 30" x 14" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Fremont I/O in Green 22" x 14" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Adana Silk Velvet in Pink Orange 20" x 16" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles

Schumacher Fremont I/O in Green 20" Pillow

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Textiles