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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Gold, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fur, Fabric, Wool, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Mirror, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
1960s Romanian Vintage Modern Furniture
Cane, Bentwood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Poplar
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Upholstery, Coating
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
18th Century Italian Antique Modern Furniture
Abalone, Wood, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut, Mohair
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome, Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Composition, Brass, Metal
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
2010s European Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé, Wood, Alpaca, Mohair, Linen, Velvet, Oak, Walnut, Lacquer
Early 2000s Dutch Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wool, Alpaca, Silk
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak



