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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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, Bronze
1970s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble, Brass, Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Korean Modern Furniture
Acrylic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Plexiglass
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Siena Marble, Carrara Marble, Breccia Marble, Marble, Bronze, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Linen
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Greek Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Slate, Gold Leaf
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum, Brass
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Beech, Wood, Textile
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather, Straw, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Clay, Ceramic, Paint
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Yarn
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Damask, Upholstery
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
1940s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper











