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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal, Brass
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
1980s German Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
1990s American Modern Armchairs
Birch, Plywood
1970s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Wool
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Armchairs
Chrome
1970s Czech Vintage Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Foam
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Chrome
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Wood, Leather
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
1980s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Plexiglass, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
1980s Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
1970s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Cotton, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Chrome
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Polystyrene
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Cotton, Velvet
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel, Chrome
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Hardwood
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
1980s Vintage Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
1970s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Late 20th Century French Modern Armchairs
Oak
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Oak, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Cane, Maple
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
1990s American Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Armchairs
Chrome
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Rattan, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal, Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Chrome
1980s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Walnut
1990s American Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Foam, Polyester, Wood, Lacquer