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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Unknown Modern Furniture
Stone
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass
1960s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Malachite, Silver Plate, Brass
1920s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1990s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
Early 20th Century European Modern Furniture
Paint
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s English Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Gold
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Earthenware
1990s American Modern Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Late 20th Century German Modern Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Modern Furniture
Glass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Paper, Lacquer
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Furniture
Resin
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Cowhide, Hide, Upholstery
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Nickel
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s Czech Vintage Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
1930s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Glass, Lacquer, Paper
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Aluminum, Brass
1960s Turkish Vintage Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Rattan
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paper
1930s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Plywood
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
1990s Chinese Modern Furniture
Plastic
20th Century Modern Furniture
Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Modern Furniture
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Iron
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Chrome
1980s Irish Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Glass, Lucite
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Metal, Brass, Chrome
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Fabric, Ash
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Porcelain
1970s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Bronze





