History

• Prior to the eighteenth century, furniture making was a craft and ornamentation was the craftsman's signature. Victorian, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts and other styles incorporated flourishes such as turned feet, embellished surfaces and elaborate carving. When the modernist movement swept in, aesthetic sensibilities shifted. The modernist philosophy was that furniture should have a function. Methods of mass-production made furniture-making more affordable, giving designers room to experiment.
  
  

Features

• Modern furniture embodies more than just a shift in style. Materials extend beyond the typical varieties of wood to include metals and even plastics. Contemporary pieces may also be made of polymer resins. The philosophy behind this shift is accessibility as well as practicality--new materials meant lighter pieces, easier maintenance and more flexibility in terms of function. Modern furniture designers experiment with color, texture and shape, with results that range from sterile to pop art.
  
  

Benefits

• One of the essential benefits of modern furniture is that it blends with other furniture styles. A sleek-lined desk or coffee table can take on an arty look in a bohemian chic interior, just as it looks minimalist in a Scandinavian or Japanese interior. A chair with a unique shape can complement looks ranging from shabby chic to avant-garde. Most contemporary pieces serve the multiple purposes of being practical, portable and useful. Modern furniture designers know how to pack the most use into a piece, providing hidden storage, stacking capabilities, display niches, hidden shelves and compartmentalized organization systems into their pieces. To top it all off, as long as the decorator avoids the top designer names, modern furniture can be surprisingly affordable. Shops such as Ikea and Design within Reach have brought a modern sensibility to the masses of do-it-yourself decorators.
  
  

Function

• While a few isolated pieces of modern furniture may serve the purpose of communicating style and status, most function to make a home more livable. Fabrics and surfaces are durable and washable. Pieces come in coordinating colors and patterns. Pieces such as futons, loft beds and screens serve multiple purposes to keep spaces open and flexible.
  
  

Brands

• There are shops that specialize in the contemporary, clean look that many people seek with modern furniture. Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel offer reasonably priced, neutrally-colored pieces that are practical and of decent quality. Pier 1 adds an ethnic, folk art slant to the modern aesthetic, while Ikea veers in the direction of Scandinavian simplicity. Elm Street gives the modern look a bohemian East Village interpretation. For more inspiration, look at Lafer's Eames-inspired lounge chairs, Chanda's abstract-patterned rugs, Inmodern's eco-friendly furniture, Milano's sofas, Design Kollection's items for the patio, BRF's contemporary European designs and the portable fireplaces conjured up by Conmoto.