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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Danish Modern Furniture
Leather
1980s Polish Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Nickel
1990s Mexican Modern Furniture
Malachite, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
1940s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1950s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Chrome
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century Modern Furniture
Nickel
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Teak
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Norwegian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
1930s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century German Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Opal
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mohair
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite
20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
1960s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1970s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Pine
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century Scottish Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Stoneware
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Foil
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Modern Furniture
Plaster
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Foam
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modern Furniture
Wool
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wood
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Bronze





