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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
2010s European Modern Furniture
Velvet, Rattan, Wood, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century European Modern Furniture
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Mirror, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stone
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Faux Leather, Foam
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak, Pine
2010s European Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Hardwood, Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s French Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Plywood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel





