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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Leather, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Linen, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal, Gold Plate, Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Steel
2010s European Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s South American Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Travertine, Stone, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Linen, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s American Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Faux Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete, Cement
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Suede, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
Early 2000s Mexican Modern Furniture
Silver, Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron





