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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Belgian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Linen, Velvet, Polyester
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Chinese Modern Furniture
Coral
2010s Latvian Modern Furniture
Wire
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather, Foam, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Braid
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Martinican Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Israeli Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Teak
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Steel, Chrome
1970s Vintage Modern Furniture
Cotton
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Ash, Oak
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Plastic, Paint
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plastic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s French Modern Furniture
Earthenware
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Rattan
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver
20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Early 2000s Danish Modern Furniture
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s English Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Oak
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Porcelain, Paint
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Unknown Modern Furniture
Velvet, Ash, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Leather, Mohair, Bouclé, Linen
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Rattan
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Bronze
1970s Canadian Vintage Modern Furniture
Pottery
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
1990s American Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass







