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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Austrian Modern Armchairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Armchairs
Cane, Oak
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Foam, Straw
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Brass
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Metal
1920s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Cotton, Linen, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Velvet
2010s Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Wool, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Armchairs
Textile
1990s French Modern Armchairs
Bronze
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Bronze
1850s Italian Antique Modern Armchairs
Rattan
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Norwegian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Leather
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Upholstery, Hardwood
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Armchairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Beech, Foam, Fabric, Leather
2010s European Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Foam, Rubber, Suede, Down
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Cedar
1970s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Foam, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bouclé
Early 2000s Italian Modern Armchairs
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet
2010s Philippine Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Colombian Modern Armchairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Brass, Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
1950s European Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s European Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fiberglass