Difference Between Contemporary and Modern Furniture


Contemporary furniture and modern furniture are not necessarily similar, although they may seem very similar to each other. Contemporary is referring to a set of aesthetics while  modern is relating to a school of design.

Contemporary and modern pieces of furniture have become very prominent lately. Both have made their way to elegant furniture boutiques because of their classy and interesting designs. Although, they both share some common stylistic designs, yet, they are not of the same classification.

Contemporary furniture

Contemporary would refer to a set of furniture belonging to the same time frame. And, it does not matter what time frame it belongs to. Take for example a 1970’s contemporary dining room. It would mean that all the pieces in the dining room are all made during the 1970’s. A contemporary style of furniture would normally relate to a style that uses modern materials such as chrome, glass, and metal.

The overall composition of a contemporary style furniture would incorporate sharp edges, angles, and asymmetrical lines.  One thing you would notice about a contemporary design is its smooth texture with less carvings and other decorative details. There are many contemporary styles that greatly vary depending on the country or place they originate. Japanese contemporary, being popular nowadays, has its own style that uses  a low surface, a straight line, and a simple design. There is also a European contemporary, as well as American contemporary, which are both popular too with their own distinct touch of style.

Modern furniture

Modern style of furniture would rather focus itself on modernism as its best description. The word modern is basically referring to a school of design. In other words, it does not actually refer to the time frame in which the pieces of furniture were made. Modernism primarily focuses on the function of the furniture. Although, later on it became a blend of modern arts concepts regarding furniture designs.

Modern furniture pieces are mostly made of plastic or molded plywood materials. This style of furniture has greatly been inspired from Japan and Asia. The Japanese look in Western furniture is remarkable. It had a striking impact when it first came out towards the end of the 19th century.  In fact, one of the most famous contemporary pieces is the Noguchi coffee table. This was designed by a Japanese-American.

On the other hand, during the 1920’s, Bauhaus school in Germany had a number of designers who revolutionized the look of modern furniture. Indeed, the Werkbund which is also in Germany has manufactured modern furniture that were wonderfully crafted. Moreover, modern furniture is definitely effective in providing aesthetic and functional benefits. A collection of this pieces are designed to fit various sizes of space without foregoing their functionality.


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