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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 French Modern Furniture
Crystal
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s French Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Travertine, Brass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s French Modern Furniture
Stone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
2010s French Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1990s French Modern Furniture
Leather
19th Century French Antique Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Leather, Suede
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Slate
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Onyx, Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Glass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Rose Quartz
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Paper, Wood
1990s French Modern Furniture
Crystal, Aluminum, Metal
2010s French Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Furniture
Oak
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Limestone, Iron
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s French Modern Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
2010s French Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Oak
1990s French Modern Furniture
Brass, Chrome
2010s French Modern Furniture
Wood, Olive
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Oak
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Resin
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Travertine, Iron





