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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Lacquer
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Teak, Upholstery
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s New Zealand Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Silver
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Felt, Cotton, Velvet, Acrylic, Ash
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s South American Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s European Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Oak, Hardwood, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Brass





