Modern design eschewed unnecessary adornment and placed its focus on clean, architectural lines. If clean lines and streamlined styling are your thing, then you'll love modern contemporary furniture. Whatever your budget, you can create a fabulous space with a few key pieces. Here is a roundup of sofas, side chairs and coffee tables at different price points to get you started.

Contemporary Sofas

Modest: CB2’s sleek sofa is priced just right at about $1,000. Slim lined and tailored to perfection, this simple, modern contemporary furniture design is based on furniture from 20th century Denmark.

Moderate: Design Within Reach offers the Raleigh Sofa, also influenced by Danish design. The solid walnut exterior frame wraps around the back to add support to the comfortable seat back. The slim profile is perfect for smaller, less pompous spaces.

Mega: This vintage 1940s Finn Juhl sofa is the ultimate in luxury mid-century living. Finn Juhl was born in Denmark in 1912 and his furniture influences interior design even now. The simple, clean lines of this couch mean that it will work beautifully with other pieces from mid-century ... or any era.

Modern Side Chairs

Modest: The Ikea Landskrona chair is as comfortable as it is stylish. It comes in a choice of palest green or charcoal.

Moderate: The Bantam armchair is based on the 1930s designs of Edward Wormley. This is modern contemporary furniture at the height of sophistication.

Mega: Designed in the 1920s, the Le Corbusier L-2 armchair was an international hit as soon as it debuted and has been influencing modern furniture since.

Contemporary Cocktail Tables

Modest: This modern coffee table in espresso-stained hardwood is sleek and contemporary. The simple round form of this table works well with straight-lined chairs and sofas and makes for a great focal piece. 

Moderate: The Ully coffee table from Crate & Barrel has a modern hourglass silhouette that is both contemporary and exotic. The larger top over the narrower base provides a distinctly architectural flair -- an important element in contemporary design styles.

Mega: This Edward Wormley table showcases a modern hourglass shape and incorporates a travertine marble top. Made in Italy in the 1950s, this table would work in any setting or design style. But as part of a modern design plan, it will be the showstopper of the space.

The influences on modern furniture design of Danish designer Finn Juhl, France’s Le Corbusier and American Edward Wormley were far-ranging and deep. Developing an understanding of the players in the field and the iconic furniture they produced will help anyone put together a fantastic design scheme on any budget.

Updated October 17, 2018.