Modern Armchairs
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Spanish Modern Armchairs
Hide, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Leather
1980s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Armchairs
Wrought Iron
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Armchairs
Leather, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s South African Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Foam, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Austrian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
1990s Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric
1960s European Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bronze
2010s Asian Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Velvet
2010s French Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s French Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Gold Leaf
2010s Lebanese Modern Armchairs
Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Armchairs
Leather, Velvet