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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
guéridon in green straw marquetry, by les2ebenistes
Located in REMOMEIX, FR
Square pedestal table or side table, base in burnt and varnished sapele wood, top in green and black straw marquetry, geometric motifs. small ostrich eggshell cabochons. With its ele...
Straw, Wood
$6,979 / item
Indra Monolith by Ayse Zelal Tugrul
Located in Geneve, CH
Indra Monolith by Ayse Zelal Tugrul One of a Kind Dimensions: D 12 x W 15 x H 30 cm. Materials: Marble, copper. Indra is the Vedic God of rain and thunderstorms, symbolizing the inc...
Marble, Copper
Modern Black Lacquer Gueridon Side Table "Sway" by Ivan Paradisi, Italy
Located in Turin, IT
The "Sway" Black is a modern black-lacquer gueridon by Italian designer Ivan Paradisi — a striking study in contrast and refinement. Its polished, mirror-like surfaces catch light a...
Brass
$9,084 / item
Unique Red Marbled Salts Guéridon, Roxane Lahidji
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique red marbled salts guéridon, Roxane Lahidji Material: Marbled salts, a unique award winning technique developed by Roxane Lahidji Dimensions: 55 x 35 x 35 cm Unique guéridon...
Composition
$10,491 / item
Spectra Side Table, Rona Koblenz
Located in Geneve, CH
Spectra side table - Rona Koblenz Dichroic glass Measures: 46 x 70 x 70 cm "A spectrum (plural spectra or spectrums) is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of valu...
Glass
$18,168 / set
Pair of Marbled Salts Gueridons by Roxane Lahidji
Located in Geneve, CH
Pair of Marbled Salts Gueridons by Roxane Lahidji Material: Marbled Salts, a unique award winning techinique developped by Roxane Lahidji Dimensions: 40 x D 38 cm (other dimension...
Composition
Sculptural Table, Unique Daté Kan Stone Design by Okurayama
Located in Geneve, CH
Sculptural table - Unique Daté Kan stone design by Okurayama Materiel: Daté Kan Stone and forged iron Sculpted in the Okurayama's Studio in Miyagi's Prefecture, Japan Each creatio...
Stone
$10,491 / item
Dichroic Glass Side Table, Rona Koblenz
Located in Geneve, CH
Dichroic side table, Rona Koblenz Measures: 49 x 50 x 30 cm "A spectrum (plural spectra or spectrums) is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary ...
Glass
Unique Black Marbled Salts Gueridon by Roxane Lahidji
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Black Marbled Salts Gueridon by Roxane Lahidji Material: Marbled Salts, a unique award winning technique developed by Roxane Lahidji Dimensions: 40 x D 38 cm Unique Gueridon ...
Composition
$5,629 / item
Marble "Athos" Side Table, Giorgio Bonaguro
Located in Geneve, CH
Marble "Athos" table - Giorgio Bonaguro. Dimensions: 320 W x 430 H x 340 D. Materials: carrara marble, brazilian granite. Top is also available in Azul Macaubas and the table can be curved. Tribute to Athos Bulcao...
Granite, Marble, Carrara Marble
$21,879 / item
Unique Marbled Salts Dining Table, Roxane Lahidji
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Marbled Salts dining table, Roxane Lahidji Material: Marbled salts, a unique award winning technique developed by Roxane Lahidji Dimensions: 70 x 70 x 70 cm Unique Dining T...
Composition
$3,198 / item
Unique Hoodoo Side Table Pedestal, Albane Salmon
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Hoodoo side table pedestal - Albane Salmon Dimensions: 43 x 30 x 57.5 cm Solid European ash, colored concrete One of a kind. Variations possible on demand Hoodoo side table / pedestal Hoodoo is a side table inspired by the eponymous geological Formations, those columns of sediments preserved from erosion by the weight of a rock settled on top. Shaped by the years, those natural sculptures stand in a fragile yet mighty balance, unveiling the beauty of time. Albane Salmon Her aesthetics is nurtured by the random effects of natural phenomenons such as erosion and natural wear of materials exposed to the elements. She also explores the poetry that lies in the slight imbalance and irregularities provided by the human eye and gesture. As a trained cabinet...
Ash
Alessandro Mendini Table Model Freccia for Gruppo Alchimia, Italy
By Gruppo Alchimia, Alessandro Mendini
Located in Asti, Piemonte
Freccia table in lacquered wood and silkscreened metal base designed by Alessandro Mendini for Gruppo Alchimia, about 2000. Exhibited at the show Alchimismo, Frigoriferi Milanesi, Mi...
Metal
Stone Age Gueridon by Studio Superego, Italy
Located in Asti, Piemonte
Stone Age gueridon with brass structure and base in semi-precious stone Kambaba jasper from Madagascar designed by Studio Superego for Superego Editions. Biography Superego editions...
Brass
Hand Lacquered Table by Alessandro for Baker Furniture Company
By Alessandro for Baker Furniture, Baker Furniture Company
Located in New York, NY
Hand painted lacquered table by Alessandro for Baker Furniture Company.
Wood
$9,084 / item
Unique Marbled Salts Table by Roxane Lahidji
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Marbled Salts Table by Roxane Lahidji Unique Piece. Material: Marbled salts. Dimensions: 40 x 38 x 38 cm Award winner of Bolia Design Awards 2019 and FD100 and present in th...
Composition
$6,979 / item
Object C by Ayse Zelal Tugrul
Located in Geneve, CH
Object C by Ayse Zelal Tugrul One of a Kind Dimensions: D 7 x W 15 x H 27 cm. Materials: Marble, copper. The letter “C” is inspired by the ancient symbol that was thought to represe...
Marble, Copper
$6,979 / item
Object H by Ayse Zelal Tugrul
Located in Geneve, CH
Object H by Ayse Zelal Tugrul One of a Kind Dimensions: D 7 x W 15 x H 30 cm. Materials: Marble, copper. The letter “H” symbolizes duality, life, death, and divinity, inspired by th...
Marble, Copper
$10,491 / item
Dichroic Glass Side Table, Rona Koblenz
Located in Geneve, CH
Dichroic side table, Rona Koblenz 49 x 50 x 30 cm "A spectrum (plural spectra or spectrums) is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely...
Glass
$6,653 / item
Binary Brass Gueridon by Adam Ruiz & Robin Hervé
By Adam Ruiz
Located in Geneve, CH
Binary brass gueridon by Adam Ruiz & Robin Hervé Dimensions: 70 x 45 x 45 cm Materials: Sculpted brass and concrete Hand-sculpted Limited, signed and numbered from an edition of ...
Concrete, Brass
Stone Age Gueridon by Studio Superego, Italy
Located in Asti, Piemonte
Stone Age gueridon with brass structure and base in semi-precious stone Malachite designed by Studio Superego for Superego Editions. Biography Superego editions was born in 2006, pe...
Malachite, Brass