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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Chairs
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Chairs
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Chairs
Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs
Wood
1990s Italian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Fabric
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Chairs
Walnut, Mohair
1960s Mexican Vintage Modern Chairs
Steel
1920s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Steel, Chrome
1980s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
Late 20th Century European Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Chairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Chairs
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Argentine Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Metal, Brass
2010s American Modern Chairs
Resin, Foam
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Chestnut
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Steel, Other
Late 20th Century American Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Foam, Walnut
2010s Finnish Modern Chairs
Fiberglass, Leather
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Chairs
Marble
1950s Indian Vintage Modern Chairs
Teak, Leather
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Textile, Wood, Bentwood
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Fabric, Hardwood, Ash
1920s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Steel, Chrome
2010s Dutch Modern Chairs
Plastic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Papercord, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Foam, Beech
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Foam, Wood, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Philippine Modern Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Finnish Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s French Modern Chairs
Bronze
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Fur, Faux Fur, Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Parchment Paper, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Foam, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Fur
2010s Chinese Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Ceramic, Fabric, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s Japanese Modern Chairs
Wood