Modern Footstools
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Footstools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Footstools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Footstools
Brass
1980s South American Vintage Modern Footstools
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Footstools
Steel
2010s Finnish Modern Footstools
Fiberglass
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Brass, Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Footstools
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Footstools
Brass
1980s French Vintage Modern Footstools
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Footstools
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Footstools
Gold Plate, Brass
2010s North American Modern Footstools
Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Footstools
Fabric, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Footstools
Velvet, Ebony, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Footstools
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Footstools
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Footstools
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Footstools
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Footstools
Suede, Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Footstools
Bronze
2010s American Modern Footstools
Fabric
Mid-20th Century American Modern Footstools
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Footstools
Brass
Mid-20th Century Modern Footstools
Mahogany
2010s Balkan Modern Footstools
Leather, Wood, Ash, Oak, Walnut
Late 20th Century English Modern Footstools
Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Footstools
Fabric, Plywood
2010s Brazilian Modern Footstools
Leather, Hardwood, Fiberglass, Upholstery, Textile
1920s Dutch Vintage Modern Footstools
Belgian Black Marble
Mid-20th Century English Modern Footstools
Leather
2010s Mexican Modern Footstools
Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Footstools
Fabric, Plywood
2010s Mexican Modern Footstools
Hardwood, Katalox
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Footstools
Fabric, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Footstools
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Footstools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Footstools
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Footstools
Leather, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Footstools
Fabric, Wood
2010s British Modern Footstools
Nylon
20th Century Modern Footstools
Fabric
1980s North American Vintage Modern Footstools
Fabric, Wood
1980s North American Vintage Modern Footstools
Fabric, Wood, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Footstools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Footstools
Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Footstools
Leather, Hardwood, Fiberglass, Upholstery, Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Footstools
Leather
2010s Dutch Modern Footstools
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Footstools
Bouclé, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Footstools
Leather
1960s American Vintage Modern Footstools
2010s Dutch Modern Footstools
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Footstools
Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Footstools
Leather, Hardwood, Fiberglass, Upholstery, Textile
2010s French Modern Footstools
Metal