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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1990s Swedish Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Leather, Ash
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Hide, Wood
Late 20th Century French Modern Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Suede, Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Lacquer
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
1960s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Elm
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Gold
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Plexiglass
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Stone
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Marble, Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century German Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Velvet
1990s American Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Finnish Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Silver
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Oak, Reclaimed Wood
1980s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Acrylic, Paper
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Steel
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paint
2010s American Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Modern Furniture
Lacquer
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Plastic
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
1980s British Vintage Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fir
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Steel