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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Fiberglass, Paint
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
1990s English Modern Furniture
Pottery
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Cotton, Linen, Velvet, Faux Fur, Polyes...
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Cane, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Polyester, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s German Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Dutch Modern Furniture
Steel
1990s American Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Glass, Cane, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Murano Glass
1970s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Pine
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Asian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s French Modern Furniture
Wool
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Paper
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather, Rattan, Mahogany
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Furniture
Reclaimed Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Plywood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut








