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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Vintage Modern Furniture
Cherry
2010s Polish Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming, Foam
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1990s Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Chestnut, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Marble
1990s Slovenian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s European Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
1960s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Foam, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
1990s American Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Foam, Wood, Trimming
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Linen
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Walnut
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak, Pine
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Marble
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal, Gold Plate, Silver Plate
1990s American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
2010s French Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Hardwood, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Ash, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood





