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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Modern Furniture
Damask, Upholstery
1990s French Modern Furniture
Metal, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass, Murrine
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Malachite, Silver Plate, Brass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Plywood
20th Century Modern Furniture
Marble
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
1990s American Modern Furniture
Bouclé
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel, Zinc
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Opaline Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
1970s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Pine
1990s Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century Modern Furniture
Bronze
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool
1990s Mexican Modern Furniture
Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Leather, Glass, Mahogany
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Furniture
Lucite, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Pine
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
1990s French Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Cut Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak, Cane
1990s English Modern Furniture
Pottery
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Elm
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Plastic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Animal Skin, Suede, Glass
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Lacquer
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Glass
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
1990s Canadian Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel, Wire
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Furniture
Leather, Rattan, Mahogany
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Formica
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
1970s Czech Vintage Modern Furniture
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Dutch Modern Furniture
Paper
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Lucite
1990s Swedish Modern Furniture
Art Glass





