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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Australian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron, Wrought Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass, Nickel, Cut Steel, Bronze
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Wood, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Opal, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Copper
20th Century German Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak, Walnut, Fir
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Foam, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Chrome, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Cedar
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Limestone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ash, Wood, Hardwood, Oak, Walnut, Wenge
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Jacquard
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Steel
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Pewter
Early 20th Century European Modern Furniture
Paint
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Travertine, Wrought Iron
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Mirror, Teak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel





