Modern Stools
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Breccia Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Ash
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Stools
Chrome
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Stools
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Stools
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Wood
2010s American Modern Stools
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Brass
2010s American Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Stools
Metal
2010s German Modern Stools
Lacquer, Leather, Upholstery, Bentwood
1970s Vintage Modern Stools
Fabric, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Stools
Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Ceramic
2010s Portuguese Modern Stools
Travertine
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Oak
2010s Canadian Modern Stools
Oak
2010s Modern Stools
Linen, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Fabric, Walnut
2010s American Modern Stools
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Chestnut, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Velvet, Wood, Rattan
1970s American Vintage Modern Stools
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Stools
Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Marble, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Wood, Walnut
2010s Swedish Modern Stools
Wood
2010s South Korean Modern Stools
Stone, Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Marble, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Stools
Wood
2010s South Korean Modern Stools
Stone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Leather, Plaster
2010s South Korean Modern Stools
Stone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Upholstery, Wood
2010s French Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Travertine, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Fabric, Bouclé
Mid-20th Century Modern Stools
Faux Fur
1940s Vintage Modern Stools
Wood, Oak
2010s Lebanese Modern Stools
Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Stools
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Stools
Beech
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Bronze
2010s French Modern Stools
Brass
2010s German Modern Stools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Wood, Mohair