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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s American Modern Furniture
Porcelain, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Upholstery
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Walnut
2010s Icelandic Modern Furniture
Fur, Hide, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Paint
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf, Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1960s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fur, Alpaca, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Oak
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Japanese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Linen, Wool, Leather, Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Rattan, Rush, Mahogany
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Opaline Glass
1990s American Modern Furniture
Lucite
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
1920s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Beech, Bentwood
Early 2000s English Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Macassar, Ebony
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s French Modern Furniture
Oak, Fabric, Bouclé








