Gone are the days of heavily carved furniture, intricate embellishments, and richly patterned upholstery. Welcome to the era of shiny simplicity and gorgeous geometry. Rich colors and bold fabrics make way for glittering metallic colors and sleek metal. Such elements are key in the development and design of modern furniture at its best.

Simple yet stunning. Sleek yet striking. Functional yet comfortable.  These are basic elements of modern furniture design that are essential in the development of each piece. The idea that “less is more” meshed with art in its finest form defines the idea of modernism and modern furniture specifically.

Form

Simply put modern furniture showcases geometry at its finest.  Simple, straight lines with sharp, definite corners are ideal when designing contemporary pieces of furniture. Also popular are fluid, asymmetrical lines and rounded corners. Maintaining the overall idea of simplicity, modern pieces of furniture are geometric works of art.

Modern furniture design is inspired by the idea that the furniture form be simple, rational, and accessible to all people. The designs should be based on simple geometric shapes and primary colors. Contemporary furniture design focuses on the ideas that the form of each piece should serve its function well, and a belief in the perfection and efficiency of geometry.

Function

Form follows function has always been the mantra in modern furniture design.  The idea to let design be led by the function of a specific piece of furniture, rather than let the embellishments determine its shape.  Keeping with the essential elements of simplicity and the idea that “less is more,” modern furniture design does not sacrifice function and comfort for design. Here traditional pieces of furniture tend to go overboard when designing a comfortable sofa for example, the idea tends to be large and overstuffed. Such elements take away from the piece and its naturally designed beauty.

The design focus of modern furniture is simplicity and the idea that basic is beautiful. There is no need for added embellishments or overstuffed cushions. Such elements are a waste. The focus is on the piece itself. Its shape, its color and its form are inspired and created by the function of the piece.

Color

Just how many different colors can we squeeze into the fabric of a traditional upholstered armchair? How many different patterns can we come up with? You won’t find just clutter in the upholstery of a contemporary armchair. One color with a simple metal or stainless steel frame tends to be the traditional approach to a modern piece of furniture.

Bright bold colors such as red, blue, yellow or even hot pink are trending today. However modernism in its most basic form focuses on the use of metallic colors and blacks and whites.