Modern Chaise Longues
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s American Vintage Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric
2010s American Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Polyester, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chaise Longues
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Chaise Longues
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Chaise Longues
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Chaise Longues
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Chaise Longues
Marble
1990s Modern Chaise Longues
Steel
1960s Vintage Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Rattan
2010s Belgian Modern Chaise Longues
Chestnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chaise Longues
Foam
2010s Belgian Modern Chaise Longues
Chestnut
2010s Spanish Modern Chaise Longues
Brass, Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Chaise Longues
Textile
1990s Italian Modern Chaise Longues
Steel
2010s Lebanese Modern Chaise Longues
Stainless Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chaise Longues
Metal
2010s German Modern Chaise Longues
Oak
Early 2000s Modern Chaise Longues
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chaise Longues
Wood, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Chaise Longues
Ash
2010s American Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chaise Longues
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Chaise Longues
Steel, Chrome
2010s French Modern Chaise Longues
Metal
2010s French Modern Chaise Longues
Metal
2010s Panamanian Modern Chaise Longues
Metal
2010s Panamanian Modern Chaise Longues
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Chaise Longues
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Chaise Longues
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Chaise Longues
Brass
2010s Swedish Modern Chaise Longues
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Chaise Longues
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Chaise Longues
Leather, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Chaise Longues
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Chaise Longues
Brass
2010s Swedish Modern Chaise Longues
Polystyrene
2010s Swedish Modern Chaise Longues
Iron
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric
2010s Philippine Modern Chaise Longues
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Chaise Longues
Velvet, Fabric, Jute, Cane, Wood, Trimming
2010s Spanish Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chaise Longues
Metal
2010s Asian Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Synthetic, Rattan, Rope, Teak
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Chaise Longues
Steel
2010s German Modern Chaise Longues
Stainless Steel, Other
2010s Portuguese Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Chaise Longues
Metal
2010s French Modern Chaise Longues
Nickel
2010s French Modern Chaise Longues
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Chaise Longues
Aluminum
2010s European Modern Chaise Longues
Velvet, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Chaise Longues
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Chaise Longues
Metal
2010s French Modern Chaise Longues
Metal
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Wood, Paint