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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Early 20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Oak
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plastic, Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Polystyrene
1990s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1990s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Velvet
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Nylon, Beech
Mid-20th Century German Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Bentwood
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Steel
1960s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver, Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ebony
1940s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Copper
Late 20th Century Persian Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Mexican Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Chenille
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Limestone
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood, Polystyrene
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Mahogany
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum








