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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 German Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut, Mohair
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Fir, Reclaimed Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron, Wrought Iron
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Rope, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Composition, Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Synthetic, Polyester, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Teak
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé, Wood, Alpaca, Mohair, Linen, Velvet, Oak, Walnut, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wool, Alpaca, Silk
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Stone, Marble
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut, Cane, Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Foam, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé, Chenille, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum
2010s Oceanic Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Yarn
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble, Brass, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut







