Modern Armchairs
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Brass, Steel
2010s German Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Wood, Oak, Velvet
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Hardwood, Upholstery
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Cotton, Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood, Foam
2010s Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Bamboo
1960s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Chenille, Wool, Oak, Faux Fur
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Hardwood, Foam, Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Ash, Wood
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Armchairs
Steel
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Walnut
2010s European Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
1980s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Lacquer
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Wood, Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
1970s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s Balkan Modern Armchairs
Wool, Upholstery, Wood, Ash, Oak, Walnut
2010s Balkan Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Ash, Oak, Walnut
2010s Balkan Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood, Ash, Oak, Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Chrome
1930s German Vintage Modern Armchairs
Rope, Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s European Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Balkan Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
2010s European Modern Armchairs
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s European Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
1990s American Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Walnut