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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Danish Modern Furniture
Upholstery
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut, Cane, Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Synthetic, Polyester, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Leather
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Linen, Cotton, Fur, Faux Fur, Velvet, Bouclé, Wool, Fabric, She...
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
2010s Afghan Modern Furniture
Wool
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Marble, Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Maple
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Ash
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Chenille





