Modern Sofas
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century English Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Velvet
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Sofas
Foam
1990s American Modern Sofas
Leather, Cotton, Upholstery, Foam, Polyester, Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Wool, Bouclé, Cotton, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Walnut, Oak, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sofas
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Bouclé, Cotton, Velvet, Wood, Wool, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Wood, Velvet, Bouclé, Leather, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Wood, Bouclé, Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sofas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
1970s Brazilian Vintage Modern Sofas
Suede, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Wool, Mohair, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Bouclé, Cotton, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
2010s American Modern Sofas
Mohair, Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sofas
Beech, Linen, Cotton, Leather, Walnut, Oak, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Bouclé, Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Sofas
Fabric, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sofas
Leather
1990s French Modern Sofas
Velvet
1990s American Modern Sofas
Fabric
1970s European Vintage Modern Sofas
Velvet, Fiberglass
2010s Dutch Modern Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Velvet
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Suede, Fabric
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Ebony
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Wool, Cotton, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Velvet
1970s Dutch Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Foam
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sofas
Hide
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Oak, Velvet, Bouclé, Leather, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
2010s French Modern Sofas
Fabric, Plastic, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Alpaca, Linen
2010s French Modern Sofas
Wool, Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Velvet