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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Onyx, Rock Crystal, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Crystal, Brass
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Silk, Wool
18th Century Italian Antique Modern Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Bouclé
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Nickel, Enamel, Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Enamel, Brass, Nickel, Chrome, Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s South African Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ebony, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Concrete, Cement
2010s South African Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Maple, Ebony
1990s English Modern Furniture
Linen, Glass, Acrylic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Modern Furniture
Pine, Lacquer
2010s African Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Gold Leaf
2010s African Modern Furniture
Resin, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar, Wood
19th Century Mexican Antique Modern Furniture
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Furniture
Yarn
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Onyx, Travertine, Carrara Marble, Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Carrara Marble, Marble, Travertine, Onyx, Stainless Steel, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
2010s British Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Brazilian Modern Furniture
Wood, Teak, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Pakistani Modern Furniture
Ash, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
Early 2000s Mexican Modern Furniture
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Furniture
Metal