Modern Chairs
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
1990s Italian Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Chairs
Hide, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Chairs
Lacquer
1990s French Modern Chairs
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chairs
Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Hide, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Chairs
Leather, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s English Modern Chairs
Cork
1950s Indian Vintage Modern Chairs
Cane, Teak, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chairs
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Wood, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Wool, Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Wool, Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Wood, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Bouclé, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood, Oak
1920s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
1920s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
1920s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Chairs
Wood, Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood, Beech, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood, Beech, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
1990s Belgian Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Bouclé, Velvet, Wood, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chairs
Steel
1990s Belgian Modern Chairs
Steel
1990s Belgian Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Chairs
Metal