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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Silver
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Elm
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Acrylic, Ash, Cotton, Linen, Faux Fur, Wood
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
1960s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Mirror, Oak
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Elm
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Furniture
Chrome
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Irish Modern Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s European Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Upholstery, Lacquer, Velvet
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Marble, Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Murano Glass
1920s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Foam, Hardwood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
1930s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fur, Natural Fiber, Silk
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Felt, Cotton, Velvet, Acrylic, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite, Plexiglass, Acrylic





