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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Brass, Steel
1960s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
1960s Dutch Vintage Modern Armchairs
Copper
2010s German Modern Armchairs
Leather, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Armchairs
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Metal
1960s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Armchairs
Fabric
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Canvas, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
Late 20th Century Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Armchairs
Brass
1960s Vintage Modern Armchairs
Textile, Reed
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fur, Oak, Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass, Stainless Steel
1980s Colombian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Goatskin, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s South African Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Plastic
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Polyester
1950s European Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Other, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Rubber, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century French Modern Armchairs
Brass, Wrought Iron
1970s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Cord, Rope
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fur
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Poplar, Pine
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Armchairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Wood
2010s European Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Armchairs
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Plastic
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Beech