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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Gold, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1960s Romanian Vintage Modern Furniture
Cane, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Cut Steel
2010s South American Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
1990s German Modern Furniture
Slate, Stone, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Poplar
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Unknown Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
18th Century Italian Antique Modern Furniture
Abalone, Wood, Giltwood
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome, Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Teak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Malachite, Onyx
1930s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé, Wood, Alpaca, Mohair, Linen, Velvet, Oak, Walnut, Lacquer





