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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Brass
2010s American Modern Chairs
Leather
1980s American Vintage Modern Chairs
Chrome
2010s European Modern Chairs
Mohair, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Cord, Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Wood, Oak
2010s Dutch Modern Chairs
Steel
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Chairs
Oak, Leather
2010s Swedish Modern Chairs
Pine
20th Century European Modern Chairs
Bentwood
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Metal, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Brass
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Chairs
Aluminum, Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Chairs
Mohair
1960s Belgian Vintage Modern Chairs
Cement
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Chairs
Leather, Teak
1960s Japanese Vintage Modern Chairs
Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Velvet
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Cord, Wood, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Other
2010s Saudi Arabian Modern Chairs
Linen, Velvet, Polyester
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Wood, Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s Danish Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s Belgian Modern Chairs
Foam, Rubber
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Wood, Oak
2010s British Modern Chairs
Metal
1920s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Chrome
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Cord, Wood, Oak
Late 20th Century American Modern Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Maple
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Cord, Wood, Oak
2010s Dutch Modern Chairs
Leather
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Cord, Wood, Oak
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Cord, Wood, Oak
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s German Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Leather, Oak
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Cord, Wood, Oak
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Cord, Wood, Oak
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Velvet
2010s French Modern Chairs
Textile, Upholstery, Beech
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Early 2000s Italian Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Pakistani Modern Chairs
Brass