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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Teak
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Walnut, Oak, Wood, Faux Leather, Upholstery, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Hide, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Cedar
1990s French Modern Armchairs
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Mohair, Bouclé, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric
20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Oak, Leather, Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
1960s Dutch Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Chrome, Stainless Steel, Other
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Chrome, Stainless Steel, Other
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel, Other
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
1970s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Foam, Leather
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery
Early 2000s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wool