Modern Boxes
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Early 2000s American Modern Boxes
Birdseye Maple, Cherry, Burl
1990s Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Boxes
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Suede, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Boxes
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Boxes
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century German Modern Boxes
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Boxes
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Walnut
1970s French Vintage Modern Boxes
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Boxes
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Ebony
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Boxes
Bone, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Birdseye Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Birdseye Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Boxes
Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Leather, Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Boxes
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Boxes
Horn, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Boxes
Crystal
Early 2000s French Modern Boxes
Epoxy Resin
20th Century German Modern Boxes
Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Agate, Metal, Silver Plate
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
1980s British Vintage Modern Boxes
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Boxes
Copper, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Boxes
Brass, Steel, Copper
Early 2000s Italian Modern Boxes
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Marble
1990s Italian Modern Boxes
Gold, Enamel, Sterling Silver, Gold Plate
2010s French Modern Boxes
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Boxes
Ceramic, Clay
1960s French Vintage Modern Boxes
Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Boxes
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Boxes
Gold
2010s Mexican Modern Boxes
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Boxes
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Boxes
Copper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Boxes
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Boxes
Brass, Bronze
Late 20th Century Modern Boxes
Ceramic
Late 20th Century French Modern Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Boxes
Brass