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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel, Chrome
1980s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Elm
20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wool
Late 20th Century Modern Armchairs
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Walnut, Machiche, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Linen, Upholstery, Oak
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Hide, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Hide
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Hardwood, Walnut, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Armchairs
Leather, Rattan, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Polyester, Teak
2010s Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather, Beech
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Chrome
1950s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Chenille, Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
2010s Philippine Modern Armchairs
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
1990s Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Synthetic, Polyester, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Teak, Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Steel, Aluminum, Cut Steel, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood, Synthetic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
1950s European Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
1980s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Wood
1910s Austrian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Bentwood
20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Rattan
2010s Lebanese Modern Armchairs
Satin, Walnut
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Katalox, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel, Other
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wool, Upholstery, Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Leather, Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Fur, Faux Fur
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
20th Century French Modern Armchairs
Leather, Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Foam, Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Upholstery, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Linen, Hemp
2010s Argentine Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood