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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Indian Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Argentine Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
1950s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Chrome
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Hardwood, Upholstery
1980s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Unknown Modern Armchairs
Leather
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other, Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Bamboo
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
Early 20th Century Swedish Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Birch
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Brass
1950s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Unknown Modern Armchairs
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Textile, Rattan
1970s European Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather
1960s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
1930s German Vintage Modern Armchairs
Rope, Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
1960s Czech Vintage Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Oak
1960s Dutch Vintage Modern Armchairs
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Oak, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Lacquer, Velvet, Mohair, Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Oak