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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Wool, Walnut, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Glass, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century English Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
Mid-20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
1990s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Polyester
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1970s Belgian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Mirror
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Parchment Paper
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood, Foam, Walnut
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Leather, Glass, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Crystal, Chrome
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Upholstery
2010s Modern Furniture
Copper
2010s North American Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Copper
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Crystal
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Furniture
Metal, Copper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wool, Silk
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Poplar
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Iron
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wool, Felt
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel








