What Is the Difference Between a Modern & a Contemporary Sofa?

Modernism

• Modernism is a movement that began in the late 1800s and ended approximately in the early 1970's. It broke away from the heavily ornate and dark furniture that was typical of the day. According to "Preservation" magazine, modernists were "intrigued" by the emerging technologies--concrete, glass and steel. The work rejected the ornamentation of Victorian and art nouveau styles. "Their work was both spare (think of Mies' famous dictum "Less is more") and lyrical," wrote Sudip Bose in the magazine's June 2008 issue. "Perhaps above all, they believed in function dictating form." Sofas made in the modern style use symmetry with clean lines and form along with light and reflective surfaces like metal.

Contemporary Design

• According to Dictionary.com, contemporary is defined as, "existing, occurring, or living at the same time; belonging to the same time." Therefore, contemporary design usually refers to items including furniture that come from the same time period. 1950s contemporary means furniture and accessories made in the '50s and reflect that look. Contemporary is a unified look particular to a specific era which is why the term can be somewhat confusing as many people think contemporary means modern. Today the terms are used interchangeably and typically indicate uncluttered, clean lines.

Bauhaus Movement

• According to the website ArtsMia, "Bauhaus combines the root of the German verb bauen (to build) with haus (house)." The Bauhaus movement came to represent the combining of modernism and functional design in unity. The movement was founded by Walter Gropius and lasted from 1919 to 1933. This is when the theory of modernism was put into practice through design which included furniture. The Bauhaus furniture style is synonymous with clean, crisp lines and geometric patterns.

Materials

• One characteristic that both modern and contemporary sofas share is that they are made from similar materials. This can include plastic, chrome, steel, assorted wood, leather, plain and geometric patterned fabrics. The materials pull together to form a unified, streamlined look.

Where To Purchase

• Many retailer and furniture stores carry sofas that are considered modern or contemporary. A division of the furniture store La-Z-Boy is named Bauhaus USA Inc., and provides many options for contemporary and modern sofas. IKEA is iconic for their simple, clearly contemporary and modern furniture and sofas. Because this style is classic it is not hard to find this look in most stores or online.