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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Canadian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass, Mirror
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Rosewood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Bronze
1990s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Silver Plate
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plastic, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel, Metal, Bronze, Sheet Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Wood
1990s American Modern Furniture
Maple
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Harewood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Rattan, Wood
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
Early 1900s Antique Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Hardwood, Oak
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Birch, Oak, Plywood
Late 20th Century Colombian Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Cane, Wood, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Rock Crystal, Gold, Bronze
20th Century Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Mirror, Wood, Lacquer
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Austrian Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Bone, Wood








