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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Leather, Beech, Birch
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass, Metal
1980s Colombian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Sheepskin, Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Oak, Fabric, Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Cotton, Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Hide, Ash
1950s European Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal, Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Chrome
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Armchairs
Lambskin, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Armchairs
Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Armchairs
Wood, Leather
2010s Chinese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Leather, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Armchairs
Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Chrome
1970s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Early 2000s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
1960s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric, Bouclé, Velvet
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Suede, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Concrete
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Wood, Fabric, Rosewood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Walnut, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Gold Plate
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Hide
1940s Swedish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Metal, Steel
Late 20th Century European Modern Armchairs
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum