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Generally speaking, modern
furniture refers to furniture from the latter half of the 20th
century and on into contemporary styles. Designers use the term modern
furniture more narrowly to refer to the furnishings manufactured in
the 50s and 60s in post-war America, and to a lesser extent Europe.
Modern furniture experimented with new synthetic building
materials, like vinyl and tubular metal, as well as developed an
understated monochromatic color scheme, integrated modular elements with
multiple uses, and featured curvilinear shapes.
Sometimes modern furniture is
nicknamed "mod" or spelled "moderne" to distinguish it from all
contemporary pieces. After World War II, families reconceptualized their
living spaces and demanded mass-produced, comfortable, affordable, and
stylish furniture to match their new perspective. Designers such as Herman
Miller, Florence Knoll Bassett, Hans Knoll, and Charles and Ray Eames
defined the era of modern furniture with modern dining room such
as calligaris furniture, modern leather furniture, wall units, pedestal tables, modular sofas, sleek sideboards, platform beds, modern bedroom, sofabed furniture introduced by sofabed
ISTIKBAL, modern kids furniture, modern living room furniture, modern sofa furniture, north carolina furniture, discount modern
furniture, modern design furniture, modern dining room
furniture, shiny stools in place of chairs, and abstract light
sources.
A pop sensibility informed how the
influential designers wanted their furniture to function in the average
home. To usher in a futuristic design they turned to vinyl instead of
leather, bright prints in place of dark brocades, acrylic and plywood
rather than carved hardwood, and tubular steel instead of wrought iron.
New types of fabrication allowed them to manufacture sturdy, oversized,
non-symmetrical, and fluid furniture that redefined elegance as bright,
open, and minimalist, in place of ornate.
Many pieces of modern
furniture fulfilled multiple functions and changed the organization of
informal living spaces. Kidneys, ellipses, oblongs, S's, and flares
replaced the circles, squares, and rectangles of a pre-WW II home. Rich
Art Deco colors became dated as the public desired captivating monochromes
like gray and black, highlighted by contrasting hues like turguoise, ruby
red, chartreuse, and tangerine. Giant blocks of color added to the
modular, puzzle-piece effect when they were set off against clear acrylic,
blonde plywood, or shiny chrome. Modern furniture flaunted style,
yet perfectly complemented the new generation of families and their
homes.