Modern furniture favors clean lines.
Modern living room furniture began to dominate the design scene in the early 20th century, starting with the appearance of Art Deco, Mission, and Stickley furniture in the 1920s. Modern living room furniture is characterized by clean, clutter-free lines, a lack of ornamentation and an aesthetic that celebrates technology, new materials and a relative lack of concern for tradition. Contrary to the wishes of some of its more radical proponents, modern design has now become a part of history, and there are many collectors of the paradoxically named "vintage modern furniture." Does this Spark an idea?
Leaving the Past Behind
The success of modern furniture design was closely associated with the appearance of modern art in the early 20th century. Particularly in Europe, painters and groups, including the Futurists, Cubists and Dadaists, assumed a radical and vociferous opposition to the past in all its forms. They believed that Europe had become hide-bound by tradition, and that a completely new start was necessary, complete with a radically new look for home environments. Artists and theorists as diverse as Marcel Duchamp, El Lissitzky and Futurist F.T. Marinetti believed that the past had run its course, and that the 20th century would be a radical departure--socially, politically and artistically--from the 19th.
Against Decoration
Many modern furniture designs are outgrowths of modern architecture, and a number of influential modern architects such as Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright were also furniture designers. As a group, their common aesthetic was a move away from the fussiness, complexity and ornately decorated nature of the Victorian age, and toward a style that demonstrated its own purpose through its design, without any need for externally applied aesthetic statements.
Functionality
One of the primary design ideas that furniture design borrowed from modern architecture was the concept that design should follow function. A creation should appear to be exactly what it is. A material should be used in a straightforward way, and should not masquerade as another material. An example of this would be flat panel doors, which did not mimic the paneled doors of earlier times. The new flat doors were mass produced with highly processed materials, and modern designers believed that their appearance should reflect this. Living room design underwent the same transition. Whereas Victorian living rooms tended to be filled to bursting with curios, busy wallpaper and old furniture, the modern living room attempted to represent a streamlined and high speed 20th century lifestyle. Furnishings such as chairs and couches were unadorned and fairly low to the floor, and doilies, skirts and heavy curtains were definitely out.
Mass Production
The emergence of Modernism dovetailed with the increasing prominence of mass production. Influenced not only by modern art and architecture, but also by the ideas and philosophy of industrialists such as Henry Ford, furniture designers began exploring the possibilities of large numbers of identical pieces of furniture being factory made. This was not true of all designers of the time. Gustav Stickley worked to combine a modern and creative appearance with the ideals of craftsmanship and traditions of hand manufacture.
Integrating Technology
In the 21st century, expect the continuation of these early 20th century developments. Today, most furniture is mass-produced, with handmade pieces becoming the exclusive preserve of wealthy collectors. Technology is altering the design of furniture not only in its means of production, but also in its use. Large case goods, which a century ago held family china and linen, are transforming into homes for computer systems, flat screen televisions and electronics of all kinds.
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