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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Armchairs
Textile
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Beech
1960s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Rope, Wood
Late 19th Century European Antique Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
1990s American Modern Armchairs
Birch, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass, Metal
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Beech
2010s Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Wool, Velvet, Linen, Wood, Ash
2010s Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wool
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Armchairs
Wood, Faux Leather
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Beech
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Beech
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Plastic, Foam
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Bouclé
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Chrome
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Other
1980s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Cane, Hardwood
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Iron
2010s French Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Burl
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wool, Upholstery, Wood, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Other
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s European Modern Armchairs
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Plastic
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Leather, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather