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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century French Modern Chairs
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Brass
1990s Dutch Modern Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Chairs
Textile
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Cotton, Ash, Wood, Acrylic, Faux Fur, Linen, Fabric, Velvet, Bouclé, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Chairs
Metal
1960s Indian Vintage Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Chairs
Oak, Fabric, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass, Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
20th Century Indian Modern Chairs
Teak
2010s American Modern Chairs
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chairs
Wood, Leather, Canvas, Velvet, Polyester
20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Chairs
Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Lucite, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Velvet, Wood, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Chenille, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Cowhide, Oak
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wool
1980s English Vintage Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Steel
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Chairs
Beech
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood, Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Velvet, Wood, Leather, Mohair, Bouclé, Linen
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Wood, Hardwood, Leather, Cane
1980s American Vintage Modern Chairs
Beech, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Chairs
Leather, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Chairs
Walnut, Bouclé, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood, Velvet, Linen, Bouclé, Mohair, Fabric
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Wood, Hardwood, Upholstery, Cane
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Chairs
Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Wood, Leather, Canvas, Velvet, Polyester
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Cane, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Chairs
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Velvet, Wood