Defining Style: Contemporary vs Modern Furniture
Do you really know the difference between modern and contemporary furniture pieces?
For the majority of us, describing an interior style as modern or contemporary can be fraught with confusion, especially if you’re not aware of the differences between the two. Who would? Unless you’ve studied some form of art, history or culture, chances are you hear the word ‘modern’ and the word ‘contemporary’ and think it’s one and the same.
In a nutshell, one term relates to a historic design movement, and the other is an adjective used to define a style. The emphasis really lies in whether we use the word ‘modern’ or ‘Modern’ as well, just to throw another spanner in the works. So I want to help break it all down a little, look at some comparisons through iconic furniture pieces and make the concept of the two a little more palatable. The next time you walk into that designer furniture showroom, you’ll be talking the talk and making well-informed decisions.
In a nutshell, one term relates to a historic design movement, and the other is an adjective used to define a style. The emphasis really lies in whether we use the word ‘modern’ or ‘Modern’ as well, just to throw another spanner in the works. So I want to help break it all down a little, look at some comparisons through iconic furniture pieces and make the concept of the two a little more palatable. The next time you walk into that designer furniture showroom, you’ll be talking the talk and making well-informed decisions.
Contemporary designers such as Tom Dixon have also echoed a sense of Modernist design in their lighting ranges. Tom Dixon’s Beat lights, with their curved metal pendants, show a sense of craftsmanship and design austerity, much like what was celebrated by Modern designers of the time.
Tom Dixon’s lighting is classed as contemporary design, although it was inspired by the Modern design movement, because it was created in the last decade.
Tom Dixon’s lighting is classed as contemporary design, although it was inspired by the Modern design movement, because it was created in the last decade.
Kate Stokes of Coco Flip takes contemporary design to another level with the Coco pendant, featured here.
The artistry in using local wood and spun aluminium is very much in line with the ethos of designers of the Modern era. Free of ornamentation and over-the-top design, these pendants are functional and their form is simple and beautiful. The designer has crafted the object with great ingenuity, and you can draw a Modern influence from them, however these have been designed and made in the last decade so are technically classed as contemporary design.
The artistry in using local wood and spun aluminium is very much in line with the ethos of designers of the Modern era. Free of ornamentation and over-the-top design, these pendants are functional and their form is simple and beautiful. The designer has crafted the object with great ingenuity, and you can draw a Modern influence from them, however these have been designed and made in the last decade so are technically classed as contemporary design.
Side tables
Straight from the book of great Modern furniture designers, Eileen Gray’s E 1027 side table is the perfect example of true Modern design. Her main influence for this piece was the experimentation of tubular steel that was occurring within the Bauhaus at the time. The piece is technologically advanced for the era (we’re talking late 1920s to early 1930s) and is solely functional – you can move the glass plate to any height you desire, and it’s incredibly strong and sturdy.
We can still purchase the original nowadays, but strictly speaking, this is Modern design, because it back dates to the early 20th century.
Straight from the book of great Modern furniture designers, Eileen Gray’s E 1027 side table is the perfect example of true Modern design. Her main influence for this piece was the experimentation of tubular steel that was occurring within the Bauhaus at the time. The piece is technologically advanced for the era (we’re talking late 1920s to early 1930s) and is solely functional – you can move the glass plate to any height you desire, and it’s incredibly strong and sturdy.
We can still purchase the original nowadays, but strictly speaking, this is Modern design, because it back dates to the early 20th century.
A contemporary take on Gray’s side table would be something like what’s featured here. It’s simplistic in its aesthetic. It incorporates bended tubular steel in the base frame, and incorporates a natural wooden surface. However, this would have been designed and made in the last decade or so, and therefore must be classed as a contemporary piece. It has Modern influences, but technically speaking, can not be included as Modern design.
Another contemporary great is Mark Tuckey and the eggcup stool. It can be confusing and mistaken for a ‘form follows function’ piece that’s devoid of any extra ornamentation, much like the pieces from the Modern design world. It’s a reflection in the artistry of wood turning, and shows great skill and respect for the raw radiata pine used. However, it’s classed as a contemporary piece purely because it was designed and created in the last decade. We can call this a modern piece of furniture (note the little ‘m’), but it can’t be classed as Modern design since it’s not born from within the era.
Chairs
One of the most iconic chair designs from the Modern movement is the Barcelona chair, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Again, tubular steel was a huge influence in the design of this chair back in the very late 1920s. It also features the use of pigskin leather (originally) – a material that again is raw, functional for its versatility and natural strength, and was not really used previously for the making of chairs. It was a piece that required greatly skilled manufacturing and assembly.
INTERESTING FACT: Although the Modern era rejected ornamentation and elaborate design, this chair was actually designed for Spanish royalty, so it’s a little contradictory in itself.
One of the most iconic chair designs from the Modern movement is the Barcelona chair, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Again, tubular steel was a huge influence in the design of this chair back in the very late 1920s. It also features the use of pigskin leather (originally) – a material that again is raw, functional for its versatility and natural strength, and was not really used previously for the making of chairs. It was a piece that required greatly skilled manufacturing and assembly.
INTERESTING FACT: Although the Modern era rejected ornamentation and elaborate design, this chair was actually designed for Spanish royalty, so it’s a little contradictory in itself.
Another Modern design is the Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer, made in the late 1920s. Bent tubular steel advancements led to the creation of its framework, which was inspired by the flexibility and strength of Breuer’s bicycle frame at the time. The intent was to create a more transparent style of chair that reduced its form to elemental lines and planes. The original design incorporated stretched canvas for the seat, back and armrests, which added to the stark, dematerialised aesthetic of the chair.
TIP: The way to know if you have found an original Wassily or Barcelona chair is to focus on its steel manufacturing. The corners need to look like one piece of steel – the epitome of the tubular steel revolution. There should be no welding, and no caps at the end of the frames.
TIP: The way to know if you have found an original Wassily or Barcelona chair is to focus on its steel manufacturing. The corners need to look like one piece of steel – the epitome of the tubular steel revolution. There should be no welding, and no caps at the end of the frames.
Le Corbusier’s iconic Chaise longue (LC4) is a quintessential piece of Modern design. It incorporates complete form and function, creating a perfect balance between pure geometry and ergonomic intent. Like many great Modernist designs, the frame incorporates the bended tubular steel experiments of the time, and the strength of natural hide leather for the seat.
INTERESTING FACT: This chair was the first of Le Corbusier’s designs, and is one of the most successful to come out of the Modern design era.
INTERESTING FACT: This chair was the first of Le Corbusier’s designs, and is one of the most successful to come out of the Modern design era.
Jumping over to what we would class as a contemporary chair design, we look at the Wood chair by Marc Newson, designed in 1988. At a glance we can see beautiful form and function, and something that could have come from the Modern era. The technical manufacturing of the steam-bent beechwood slats in the double bent alpha formation echoes the craftsmanship of the Modern design era as well, but this is one of the more iconic contemporary design pieces purely because of when it was designed and made.
YOUR SAY
What’s your preference? Are you more of a pure Modernist or do you like the Modernist take of contemporary designers? Let us know what you think in the Comments.
MORE
The Making of an Icon: George Nelson’s Coconut Chair
Herman Miller and the Icons of Mid-Century Design Explained
Iconic Homes That Showcase Modern Architecture
YOUR SAY
What’s your preference? Are you more of a pure Modernist or do you like the Modernist take of contemporary designers? Let us know what you think in the Comments.
MORE
The Making of an Icon: George Nelson’s Coconut Chair
Herman Miller and the Icons of Mid-Century Design Explained
Iconic Homes That Showcase Modern Architecture
The Modernist movement (c. 1918-1950) was exclusively about form and function. It was a celebration of advances in technology with the industrial revolution, and importantly, the art of tubular steel. For the first time we saw curved steel structures within architecture and industrial design. The Modernist movement continues to inspire contemporary designers, such as the Evie Group. Its Spun pendant lighting, featured here, is the perfect combination of clean lines and curved steel shapes, produced in a modern contemporary way in the last decade. Therefore, we class it as a contemporary piece.