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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Turkish Modern Stools
Wood, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century American Modern Stools
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Oak
2010s Czech Modern Stools
Beech, Bentwood
2010s Swedish Modern Stools
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Stools
Sheepskin, Wool
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Ceramic, Earthenware
2010s South Korean Modern Stools
Stone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Stools
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Ceramic, Stoneware, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Upholstery, Foam, Wood, Leather
2010s American Modern Stools
Brass
2010s American Modern Stools
Bouclé
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Ceramic, Earthenware, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Stools
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Fabric, Bouclé
2010s Indian Modern Stools
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Resin
1960s American Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Metal, Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood
2010s Indian Modern Stools
Hardwood
2010s Indian Modern Stools
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Stools
Hardwood
2010s Indian Modern Stools
Lacquer, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Wood, Birch, Plywood
2010s American Modern Stools
Mahogany
2010s Modern Stools
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Stools
Aluminum
1990s European Modern Stools
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Stools
Fabric, Ash
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Wood, Foam, Fabric
20th Century Modern Stools
Leather, Acrylic
1950s French Vintage Modern Stools
Hardwood
1940s French Vintage Modern Stools
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Metal, Steel
20th Century French Modern Stools
Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Brass, Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel, Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Brass, Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Brass, Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Brass, Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
1950s French Vintage Modern Stools
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Stools
Brass
2010s German Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Ash
2010s German Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Belgian Modern Stools
Pine, Plywood
2010s Moroccan Modern Stools
Resin, Wood, Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Stools
Brass, Aluminum
1970s American Vintage Modern Stools
Pine, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Stools
Oak