Modernism shaped furniture as we know it. Furniture design went through something of a revolution when the modernist era began in 1920. The social impact was vast – gone were the days of grand, heavy and expensive wooden furniture and in it’s place were brilliantly designed, simple, stackable and comfortable items for the home. New materials and techniques were readily available and the creations from modernist designers are still evolving today.
Here are some examples of popular furniture styles that were influenced by the most iconic furniture designs.
Florence Knoll Sofa
Florence Knoll took over the Knoll furniture company after her husband Hans Knoll was killed in a car accident in 1955. Architects including Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen contributed to its designs. She designed a straight edged, simple sofa in a clean form that is still seen in many designs today.
Acro Floor Lamp
A simple, functional design originally inspired by street lighting. It provided an overhead light without the hassle of wiring it to the ceiling. The original design was formed from a heavy marble base, an arched steel neck and a free hanging shade and bulb. These are seen across many lighting departments today and is one of the most popular styles of lamp.
The Egg Chair
The original idea behind the egg chair was to give the user some privacy whilst in a public place thanks to the high cocooning sides. It was originally purpose designed by Arne Jacobsen for the Radisson SAS hotel in Copenhagen in 1968, and became one of the best-known chair designs around.
LC2 Grand Confort, Petite Modele Armchair
This is one of the pioneers of the modernist era; an architecturally imposing chair held together by an external steel frame. The cube shape was a response to club armchair design and simplified the chair.
Stool 60
The Alvar Aalto stool is clean, simple and functional. The original design was made with three legs with one round seat connecting them together. It was designed with mass production in mind and since its launch in 1933 the idea has been adjusted but with the simple, clean design that remains today.
LC4 Chaise Longue
The LC4 Chaise Longue was designed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeannerret and Charlotte Perriand and was hailed as a ‘relaxing machine’. It was designed around the modernist principles of form, function and comfort. After its exhibition at the designers’ paris Salon in 1929 it went on to become one of the 20th century’s most desirable pieces.
The Barcelona chair
Last but not least, one of the most iconic furniture designs of all time – the Barcelona chair. Designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1929, was inspired by the X shapes of Egyptian folding chairs and Roman folding stools. In 1930 Mies was named head of the Bauhaus just before it was shut by the Nazis but he went on to revisit the Barcelona chair in 1950 using updated techniques to create a frame from a single piece of steel.
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