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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Velvet, Faux Bamboo
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Rosewood
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1930s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
20th Century North American Modern Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Multi-gemstone, Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic, Rubber
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modern Furniture
Plywood
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
1990s German Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Wood, Paint
20th Century Albanian Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Marble, Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite, Plexiglass, Acrylic
1980s English Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Bronze
1920s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass, Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1990s Polish Modern Furniture
Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Sterling Silver
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1990s American Modern Furniture
Chrome





