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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Philippine Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Walnut, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal, Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Brass, Steel
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Linen, Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
Mid-20th Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile, Wood, Beech
Early 2000s Modern Armchairs
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Armchairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Textile, Wood, Fabric
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Teak, Cane
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Teak, Leather, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Walnut, Wood
2010s British Modern Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Feathers, Textile
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Rush
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Other
2010s Chinese Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Ash
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Foam, Oak, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Other, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
1960s Czech Vintage Modern Armchairs
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Beech
1960s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Armchairs
Jute, Wood, Leather, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Cane, Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
1950s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Foam, Beech