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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1940s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Ash, Oak, Walnut
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal, Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Ash, Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Elm
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Zebra Hide
1970s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Birdseye Maple, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Slate
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Cotton, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Lacquer, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Cut Steel, Metal, Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Furniture
Paper
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Rosewood, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Steel, Enamel, Copper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Cane, Wood, Walnut
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Epoxy Resin, Walnut, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Bouclé, Wood