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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Canvas
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 1900s Danish Antique Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Opaline Glass, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Velvet
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Paint, Epoxy Resin
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s European Modern Furniture
Velvet, Rattan, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Cherry
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Limestone
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s European Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet
1940s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s Modern Furniture
Crystal, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Hardwood, Maple
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
20th Century Albanian Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Suede, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Faux Leather
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut





