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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Chenille
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Slate
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s South American Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Breccia Marble
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Glass, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Polyester, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Sycamore, Walnut, Maple
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé, Chenille, Cotton
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Maple
2010s Oceanic Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Ash, Oak, Walnut, Fir
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
1970s European Vintage Modern Furniture
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar




