Modern Chairs
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Indian Modern Chairs
Leather, Cane, Rattan, Ash
2010s Philippine Modern Chairs
Rattan
1950s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chairs
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Leather, Korhogo Cloth, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Fabric, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chairs
Cotton, Wood, Leather
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Chairs
Faux Leather, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chairs
Wood, Cotton, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Straw, Zebra Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chairs
Steel
1980s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
1980s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
1950s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass
2010s French Modern Chairs
Fabric, Satin, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass, Stainless Steel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Chairs
Steel, Metal
1990s Danish Modern Chairs
Teak
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
2010s American Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Maple
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s Egyptian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Onyx
2010s Chinese Modern Chairs
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass, Iron, Stainless Steel
1990s Italian Modern Chairs
Leather, Plywood
2010s Egyptian Modern Chairs
Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Ash, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Modern Chairs
Metal, Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood, Hardwood, Cane
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Onyx
1980s Czech Vintage Modern Chairs
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Laminate, Hardwood, Leather, Textile, Upholstery
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate, Hardwood