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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Belgian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s European Modern Furniture
Velvet, Rattan, Wood, Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Faux Fur
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Stone, Marble
Early 20th Century European Modern Furniture
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Mirror
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Mirror, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stone
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1950s Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s European Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Velvet, Hardwood, Wood, Foam
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Faux Leather, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s European Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood





