Differences Between Modern & Accent Furniture

The modern era in design, fashion, literature and art begins in the late 19th Century after the end of the Romantic period. What is now thought of as modern design in relation to furniture is called "mid-century modern." The style is minimal, materials tend to be steel rather than wood, leather rather than cloth and with sharp shapes like rectangles, squares and boxes. Modern furniture is stark rather than decorative. Accent furniture, on the other hand, is not named for a design movement but for any kind of furniture that adds to a room but is not the main, utilitarian furniture in it. Does this Spark an idea?

Mid-Century Modern

In the middle of the 20th century, modern architecture and design moved from the avant-garde and affluent to mainstream. In the 1950s, the first steel box skyscrapers were considered edgy and unusual; by the 1960s, all new skyscrapers were steel boxes. The philosophy of modernism -- "form follows function" -- took root and modern furniture stripped away decoration. Steel was used instead of wood, and leather instead of cloth; the furniture was more about the design than it was the comfort of the person sitting in it. Although some of the ideas of the modernists survived, such as steel skyscrapers, some did not, such as uncomfortable furniture.

21st Century Revival of Mid-Century Modern

In the first years of the 21st Century a revival of mid-century styles began. In the 1980s and 1990s there had been a renewal of art deco and prairie style, with pieces like sleigh beds, wicker chairs and overstuffed sofas and chairs dominating design. Modern design was revived in the United States starting on the West Coast in areas like Palm Springs, California, where a new generation of owners bought mid-century modern architecture and brought it back to its original luster.

Uses of Accent Furniture

Accent furniture is furniture that complements the dcor of a space. If modernism defined design as "form follows function", then the use of accent furniture is completely non-modern in that it exists as decoration, not as a necessary, functional items. Examples of accent furniture are small side tables, "catch all" tables in entry ways, ottomans and bedside tables. Often accent furniture draws the eye of the viewer through color or decoration. Although most accent furniture is small, it can also be large and imposing, as in a shelf set for decorative items.

Modern Furniture as Accent

At the same time as the mid-century revival, some designers continued to mix and match styles. It is not uncommon to see a piece of modern furniture, for example a leather ottoman, in a room with overstuffed cloth furniture. A purist in modernism would balk at such usage, but from the viewpoint of the person who lives in the room, if it works, use it. The drawback to using modern pieces to accent a room that is not completely modern in design is that modern furniture is not designed to draw the eye the way an accent piece should.