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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Foam, Wood
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Korean Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Art Glass
2010s German Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Hardwood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Faux Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Travertine, Bronze, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Enamel, Nickel, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Maple, Burl
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Leather, Lacquer
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s English Modern Furniture
Mirror
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Oak
Early 2000s English Modern Furniture
Crystal, Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Teak, Upholstery
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Bronze
1990s Mexican Modern Furniture
Silver
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Wood, Upholstery
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Ash, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Mohair, Walnut
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Sheet Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Linen, Silk
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s European Modern Furniture
Wood, Carbon Fiber
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood





