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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Other
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Oak, Walnut, Fir
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Stone, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Silver Plate
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Fiberglass, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak, Walnut, Hardwood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Faux Fur, Ash, Sheepskin, Velvet
1970s Czech Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass
2010s Japanese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Modern Furniture
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Ash, Lacquer
2010s Chinese Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Steel
1990s American Modern Furniture
Wood
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mahogany





