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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel, Chrome
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fiberglass
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Lacquer, Leather, Fabric, Cane
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Upholstery, Walnut, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
20th Century English Modern Armchairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Oak, Mohair
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Armchairs
Leather, Cherry
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
1980s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
2010s European Modern Armchairs
Wood, Velvet
2010s French Modern Armchairs
Goatskin, Goat Hair, Beech
2010s Philippine Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Armchairs
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Foam
1960s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Teak, Fabric, Upholstery, Cane
2010s Turkish Modern Armchairs
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Armchairs
Cowhide, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
Early 2000s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fur, Oak, Fabric, Wood
1970s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Upholstery, Foam
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Armchairs
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Velvet
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Metal
Early 2000s European Modern Armchairs
Steel
20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs
Rattan
1970s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Armchairs
Upholstery