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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Brazilian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
2010s European Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
2010s Norwegian Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Oak
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal, Silver Plate
1980s Brazilian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Crystal
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Lacquer, Resin
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Acrylic, Polyester
2010s European Modern Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Oak
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
Early 2000s Danish Modern Furniture
Wood, Bentwood
2010s Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
2010s European Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Foam, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Bouclé, Foam
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Stone, Brass, Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Limestone
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Down
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Leather, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Stone, Bronze, Copper, Pewter
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Upholstery
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet, Ash
2010s French Modern Furniture
Cedar, Lacquer
Early 2000s Danish Modern Furniture
Wood, Bentwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Faux Fur, Wood
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Cowhide
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood





