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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Ash, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Malachite, Onyx
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s European Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric
2010s Oceanic Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass, Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Horn, Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Marble, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
1980s Polish Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Oceanic Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Aluminum, Brass
2010s Swedish Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Glass, Oak, Wenge
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Plaster





