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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Polyester
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fur, Alpaca, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cane, Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Animal Skin
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Cement
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Stone, Marble, Steel, Brass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Leather, Upholstery
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Wood
1990s American Modern Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
1970s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Polyester
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cement
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Epoxy Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
Early 2000s English Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Opaline Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble





