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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Iron
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
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Palmwood
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Wool, Walnut, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Marble, Metal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Natural Fiber
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
2010s French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
2010s German Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s German Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Resin, Wood
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s South American Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin, Wood
Early 2000s French Modern Furniture
Horn, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf, Metal, Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric








