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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric
1990s American Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Mirror
Early 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1990s German Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1990s Slovenian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1990s German Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Linen
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Linen
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Multi-gemstone, Sterling Silver
2010s South American Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
1960s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Teak
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Marble





