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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1940s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Colombian Modern Armchairs
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Ostrich Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Oak
20th Century Turkish Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
20th Century French Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Hardwood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Cut Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s Chinese Modern Armchairs
Wool, Nylon
21st Century and Contemporary Egyptian Modern Armchairs
Oak, Burl
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Armchairs
Textile
2010s French Modern Armchairs
Sheepskin
2010s South African Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Walnut
2010s European Modern Armchairs
Wood, Velvet
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Teak
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Steel
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Wood, Birch
2010s Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Sheepskin, Ash, Faux Fur, Velvet, Bouclé, Mohair, Wool, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile, Wood
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Oak, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s Argentine Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood, Leather, Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Velvet, Wool, Sheepskin, Fur, Faux Fur, Bouclé, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Boxwood, Poplar, Plywood
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wool, Upholstery, Wood, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile, Lambskin
2010s South African Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Lacquer, Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Armchairs
Wood
Early 20th Century Swedish Modern Armchairs
Burlap, Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Textile, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Plywood
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather
1960s American Vintage Modern Armchairs
Aluminum