Kagen Ottoman
Late 20th Century North American Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
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21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wood
1990s American Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Upholstery
Vintage 1950s Sofas
Fabric
Vintage 1940s American Hollywood Regency Console Tables
Gold Leaf
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Club Chairs
Bouclé, Wood
2010s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Velvet
Late 20th Century American Modern Sofas
Upholstery
Vintage 1970s French Organic Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Foam, Upholstery
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sectional Sofas
Bouclé, Walnut
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Lucite
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
A Close Look at modern Furniture
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Finding the Right lounge-chairs for You
While this specific seating is known to all for its comfort and familiar form, the history of how your favorite antique or vintage lounge chair came to be is slightly more ambiguous.
Although there are rare armchairs dating back as far as the 17th century, some believe that the origins of the first official “lounge chair” are tied to Hungarian modernist designer-architect Marcel Breuer. Sure, Breuer wasn’t exactly reinventing the wheel when he introduced the Wassily lounge chair in 1925, but his seat was indeed revolutionary for its integration of bent tubular steel.
Officially, a lounge chair is simply defined as a “comfortable armchair,” which allows for the shape and material of the furnishings to be extremely diverse. Whether or not chaise longues make the cut for this category is a matter of frequent debate.
The Eames lounge chair, on the other hand, has come to define somewhat of a universal perception of what a lounge chair can be. Introduced in 1956, the Eames lounger (and its partner in cozy, the ottoman) quickly became staples in television shows, prestigious office buildings and sumptuous living rooms. Venerable American mid-century modern designers Charles and Ray Eames intended for it to be the peak of luxury, which they knew meant taking furniture to the next level of style and comfort. Their chair inspired many modern interpretations of the lounge — as well as numerous copies.
On 1stDibs, find a broad range of unique lounge chairs that includes everything from antique Victorian-era seating to vintage mid-century modern lounge chairs by craftspersons such as Hans Wegner to contemporary choices from today’s innovative designers.