Modern Chairs
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Mexican Modern Chairs
Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Egyptian Modern Chairs
Polyester
2010s Argentine Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Iron
2010s French Modern Chairs
Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Fur, Fabric, Wool, Faux Fur, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Leather, Linen
2010s American Modern Chairs
Metal, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Plastic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Chairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Fur
2010s American Modern Chairs
Steel
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Chairs
Wood, Cane
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Fabric, Canvas, Wood, Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Hardwood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Chairs
Straw, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Wool, Oak
2010s American Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Wool
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Parchment Paper, Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Leather, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Chairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Chairs
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Oak
2010s French Modern Chairs
Goatskin, Goat Hair, Beech
2010s Argentine Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Danish Modern Chairs
Concrete
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Chairs
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Brass, Bronze
2010s French Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Chairs
Ash, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Faux Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s North American Modern Chairs
Mohair, Velvet
2010s Moroccan Modern Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Austrian Modern Chairs
Wire
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Plexiglass