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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Plywood
Late 20th Century German Modern Armchairs
Aluminum, Chrome
20th Century Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Jacaranda
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Wicker, Hardwood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Cotton, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
1970s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Oak
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
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
Bouclé, Wood, Oak, Wool
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Cotton, Hardwood, Ziricote
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Lacquer, Velvet, Mohair, Leather, Wood, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Oak, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Chenille, Wool, Oak, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Wool, Mohair, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Wool, Faux Fur, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s South African Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Cotton, Fabric
1990s French Modern Armchairs
Bronze
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Armchairs
Brass, Wrought Iron
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel, Aluminum
1960s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass