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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Brass, Enamel, Chrome
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Epoxy Resin, Wood, Olive
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Furniture
Linen, Fiberglass, Wood
20th Century English Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century English Modern Furniture
Stoneware
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Leather, Walnut
2010s French Modern Furniture
Fabric, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cement, Iron
1940s Austrian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Slate
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet
1950s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Linen
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Alabaster, Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s Modern Furniture
Cotton, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Oak, Walnut
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Reclaimed Wood
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Bouclé
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Malaysian Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s Moroccan Modern Furniture
Fabric