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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Pewter
2010s Modern Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Travertine, Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Straw, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Bronze
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Leather, Upholstery, Cane, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Guatemalan Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Oak
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Travertine, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Maple
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Icelandic Modern Furniture
Fur, Hide, Leather
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood





