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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
1950s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Ceramic
1960s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Antler
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel, Brass
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Goat Hair, Resin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century American Modern Furniture
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Gold Leaf
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Leather, Fabric, Rattan
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Acrylic
1960s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Rattan, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Colombian Modern Furniture
Bronze
1990s American Modern Furniture
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Acrylic
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wool, Oak, Wood, Velvet, Cotton, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Furniture
Fabric
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Rattan, Formica
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Wood, Jacquard, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Stone
Mid-20th Century Japanese Modern Furniture
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Canvas, Paper
Mid-20th Century French Modern Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Silk
20th Century German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood