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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Mexican Modern Furniture
Hardwood
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Ash, Faux Fur, Velvet, Linen, Jacquard, Fabric, Felt, Bouclé, Sh...
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
20th Century Modern Furniture
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Steel
1970s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Pine
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Faux Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s English Modern Furniture
Mirror
2010s European Modern Furniture
Wood, Jacquard
1990s North American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Onyx, Marble, Aluminum, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Suede
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Textile, Canvas, Acrylic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Walnut, Oak
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Felt, Ash, Acrylic, Velvet, Cotton, Fabric, Bouclé, Mohair, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Asian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Rope
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Faux Leather, Hardwood, Cane
2010s Korean Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
1990s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Stone, Crystal, Limestone, Travertine, Marble, Slate, Sandstone
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
20th Century Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Furniture
Brass





