» American Colonial » Art Deco & Retro » Arts and Crafts » Asian » Baroque » Biedermeier » British Colonial » Chippendale » Colonial » Contemporary » Empire » English Country » European » French Provincial » Furniture » Furniture Guide » Industrial Modern » Lodge » Louis XV » Mission Style & Arts... » Neo-Classic » Outdoor Patio & Indoor... » Queen Anne » Regency » Rustic » Scandinavian » Shaker » Southwestern » Traditional » Transitional » Victorian Industrial Modern A design trend evolving in the late 19th and early 20th century, modern furniture captures the essence of the machine age. In a concerted effort to break away from historical reference, modern furniture designers took a minimalist approach to design based on form and function using industrial materials for furniture fabrication. Sometimes deemed too stark or cold for daily living, industrial-edge modernism boasts clean lines, geometric forms and the elimination of most applied ornamentation or decoration. Tubular steel, aluminum, and plastics replaced traditional woods for leg, arm and frame construction while leather and synthetic fibers dominated upholstery materials.