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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
20th Century Spanish Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton, Linen
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century American Modern Furniture
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Marble
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Velvet
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
2010s Central American Modern Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Opaline Glass, Plaster
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal, Gold Plate, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Trimming, Foam, Upholstery, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Plaster, Wood
1960s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Teak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete
1990s German Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Australian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1940s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut, Velvet
2010s American Modern Furniture
Chrome




