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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
Early 20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
20th Century Modern Furniture
Onyx, Metal
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Mirror, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
1990s Swedish Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Sheepskin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic, Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Stone, Travertine
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paint
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Mexican Modern Furniture
Silver, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Malachite, Silver Plate, Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1990s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Marble, Breccia Marble
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s German Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Marble





