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Modern Chairs

MODERN STYLE

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 chaircrafted 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.

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Style: Modern
Recognized Seller Listings
Sitar Chair in Ash Wood Polished Walnut with Cord and Black Seat by Enzo Berti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A light armchair that brings to mind the softness of a feather, a caress, a moment of harmony in ash wood and woven nautical cords. The name has Persian origins: “seh-tar” literally ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Ash

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Magistretti 03 01 Armchair in Red Lacquered Beech
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed by Vico Magistretti in 2003, the Magistretti 03 01 chair combines the warmth of wood and the timeless elegance of the design language of Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH (GTV) wi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH N.14 Chair in Black with Cane Seat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The great classic. The item that is absolutely the most famous and most sold in the history of furniture. Designed by Michael Thonet in 1860, the No. 14 chair immediately became know...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Roly Poly Armchair in Peat by Faye Toogood for Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The distinctive, reassuringly chunky lines of Faye Toogood’s Roly-Poly furniture collection become even more inviting in her new collaboration with Driade. The latest line for the It...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Roly Poly Armchair in Ochre by Faye Toogood for Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The distinctive, reassuringly chunky lines of Faye Toogood’s Roly-Poly furniture collection become even more inviting in her new collaboration with Driade. The latest line for the It...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Andrea Salvetti Dilmos Indoor Outdoor Chair Cast Aluminium Textured Nature
Located in Milan, IT
Dining chair in aluminium casting seat and shiny stainless steel structure. The textured surface is created with panels made in aluminium casting with four different leaf textures: c...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Aluminum, Stainless Steel

Gorilla Chair with Real Green Leather by Marcantonio
Located in Kolkata, IN
Gorilla chair with real green leather by Marcantonio is an ape shaped seat with a rich green leather covering. A lounge chair with a fantastic, unique sh...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Chairs

Materials

Foam, Wood, Leather, Resin

Roly Poly Polyethylene Armchair in Charcoal by Faye Toogood for Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The distinctive, reassuringly chunky lines of Faye Toogood’s Roly-Poly furniture collection become even more inviting in her new collaboration with Driade. The latest line for the It...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Black Sculptural Three-Legged Armchair in Resin-Covered Foam by Michal Cihlar
By Michal Cihlar
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The three legged armchair is an experiment in construction and finish, its form inspired by a 13th-century Mycenaean terracotta sculpture — “Fema...
Category

2010s American Modern Chairs

Materials

Resin, Foam

Iola Upholstered Chair in Black Metal Base, by E-ggs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Iola chair comes with a seat, back and armrests in a injected flameretardant polyurethane foam covered with the listed fabrics. The structure base is available for custom orders in W...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Tacchini Costela Chair with Ottoman in Green Bryony Fabric by Martin Eisler
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Tacchini is delighted to reissue Costela by Martin Eisler, icon of Brazilian 1950s design. An elegant yet informal armchair. With its sensual aesthetic, natural materials and intelli...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fabric

Gervasoni Brick Armchair in Pavone Upholstery with Black Lacquered Oak
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Armchair with solid wood structure in natural Canaletto walnut, bleached oak or oak lacquered in white, grey, black, ocean or dove-grey, Brick 305 has the seat and backrest softened ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Unique Painted Handmade Sculpture Chair Dilmos Edizioni Colorful Geometric
Located in Milan, IT
Unique painted prototype of a wooden chair, entirely handmade by the author. The abstract and futuristic shape reminds of a utopian architecture, eternal in its uniqueness. Unique p...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Acrylic, Hardwood, Paint

Arflex Neptunia Chair Divina Green Fabric and Metal Legs by B.B.P.R.
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Neptunia collection, that includes armchair and chair, was designed in the ’50s, as a continuation of the Elettra collection, for giving choice to design offices and public spaces. N...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Arflex Botolo High Back Armchair in Natural Fur & Black Metal Legs by Cini Boeri
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An innovative upholstered rolling chair with three large tubular legs. Botolo is an ideal place to sit, relax and be creative.Cini Boeri designed Botolo in 1973, giving life to a new design style, where you could choose the height of the legs to have a dining chair in the high version or a style, at that time modern, "the living at a low level", a way of living...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fur

Hans Wegner "The" Chair Johannes Hansen Oak Original Danish
Located in San Francisco, CA
A pair of oak armchairs featuring an inset black leather seat, each having a shaped crest above a black leather seat and tapered legs. Hans J Wegner "The Chair" Stamped C M Madse...
Category

1950s Danish Vintage Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Opinion Ciatti Con Fort Set of 2 Steel Folding Chairs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Foldable and light, with an adjustable back, Con fort is a contemporary reinterpretation of one of the Industrial era’s first work chairs. Designed by Maurizio Galante and Tal Lancman, Con fort is the solution for all the problems that usually have the folding chair...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Morris Low Back Flame Red Chair in Upholstered Seat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Morris chair, by the creative duo GamFratesi, reinterprets the classic Viennese seat, by using new proportions which broaden its perspective, suggesting new references to design icon...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Loie Armchair in Dark Walnut with Metal Base
Located in Brooklyn, NY
With a balanced style and passion for high craftsmanship, Chiara Andreatti brands LOÏE, a lounge chair with harmonious curves, combining ease and refinement. A pursuit of elegant cra...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Czech Black Armchair with Upholstered Seat & Beech
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed in 1994, the Hermann Czech chair represents the turning point of modern furniture towards the passion of reminiscence and intimacy: a contemporary design that evokes memorie...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Lehnstuhl Lounge Chair in Black with Woven Cane Seat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Nigel Coates has designed a sophisticated lounge chair with a complex design reflecting the stylistic features of the brand with refined ski...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH N.14 Chair in Black with Woven Cane Seat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The great classic. The item that is absolutely the most famous and most sold in the history of furniture. Designed by Michael Thonet in 1860, the No. 14 chair immediately became know...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Bodystuhl Chair in Black with Woven Cane Seat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Thanks to the striking effect of the steam-bent beech, the Bodystuhl chair proposed by Nigel Coates shows a profile showing sinuous shapes characterized by a structure with variable thickness. The large seat and the ergonomic backrest, made in woven cane, recall shapes and materials of Lehnstuhl, already designed by the English designer for Wiener GTV Design...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Czech Armchair in Orange with Plywood & Birch Feet
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed in 1994, the Hermann Czech chair represents the turning point of modern furniture towards the passion of reminiscence and intimacy: a contemporary design that evokes memorie...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Brulla Chair in Solid Wooden by Skrivo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Inspired by 20th-century Austrian chairs, Brulla is a stackable wooden seat. Its defining aesthetic is given by the juxtaposition of curves and straight lines, creating a strong sense of identity and minimalist spirit: the dynamic momentum of the backrest and back legs meets a slightly tilted cane-webbed seat, balanced harmoniously by the front legs. Thus, its retro taste combines with the distinctive profile of the legs, which, together with other discreet details, enrich Brulla with contemporary codes. Chair with solid natural ash structure...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Bice Chair in Solid Wooden by E-ggs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Biceis a slim and sometimes unusual chair. Its essential design is juxtaposed by its flap-ears backrest, which balances and characterises its structure. Miniforms is a furniture d...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gervasoni Yelek Chair in Ash Wood with Laquered Frame by Federica Biasi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The collection of chairs Yelek, a Turkish term for Gilet, is inspired by a tailored jacket. With the same philosophy devoted to attention to detail as the world of haute couture, Yel...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Ash

Puppy Pouffe with Real Yellow Leather by Marcantonio
Located in Kolkata, IN
Puppy Pouffe Yellow is a hip little seat with luxurious shaggy suede. This cute piece of furniture is a delight around the house like a new pup For his...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Chairs

Materials

Leather, Resin, Foam, Wood

Puppy Pouffe with Real Green Leather by Marcantonio
Located in Kolkata, IN
Puppy Pouffe green is a hip little seat with luxurious shaggy suede. This cute piece of furniture is a delight around the house like a new pup For his ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood, Leather, Resin, Foam

Yellow Paper Pulp Sculptural #21.1c Tubes Chair by Zaven
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Tubes series was initiated during lockdown in the spring of 2020, when the Italian studio Zaven's married co-founders were stuck at home. "We decided to build a new piece of furn...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Paper

New York Chair 4 by Marras in Beige Upholstery & Chrome Legs by Sergio Bicego
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A sophisticated item of furniture for the dining area, the New York chair with or without armrests stands out with its sprightly structure and comfortable upholstery embellished by small tonal...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Gorilla Chair with Real Off White Leather by Marcantonio
Located in Kolkata, IN
Gorilla chair with real off white leather by Marcantonio is an ape shaped seat with a rich off white leather covering. A lounge chair with ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood, Leather, Resin, Foam

Tottori Chair by Kateryna Sokolova for Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Tottori is a seating and coffee tables collection with timeless shapes, cute silhouette and bold character. Called after the Japanese animation film “My Neighbor Totoro”, written and...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fabric

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Wiener 144 Chair in Walnut with Upholstered Seat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An unusual classic. Elegant and comfortable. The new color variants of this chair evoke the ambiance of the cafe society. A new edition of the model originally designed by Adolf Loos...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Puppy Pouffe with Real Brown Leather by Marcantonio
Located in Kolkata, IN
Puppy Pouffe brown is a hip little seat with luxurious shaggy suede. This cute piece of furniture is a delight around the house like a new pup For his ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Chairs

Materials

Leather, Resin, Foam, Wood

Puppy Pouffe with Real Pink Leather by Marcantonio
Located in Kolkata, IN
Puppy Pouffe Pink is a hip little seat with luxurious shaggy suede. This cute piece of furniture is a delight around the house like a new pup For his d...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Chairs

Materials

Leather, Resin, Foam, Wood

Arflex Katrin Armchair in Natural Fur with White Metal Legs by Carlo Colombo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The continuous search for elegance and simplicity has brought the architect Carlo Colombo to the realization of Katrin Armchair, conceived as a body to be dressed with an elegant and luxurious dress...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fur

Arflex Botolo High Back Armchair in Black Fur and Black Metal Legs by Cini Boeri
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An innovative upholstered rolling chair with three large tubular legs. Botolo is an ideal place to sit, relax and be creative.Cini Boeri designed Botolo in 1973, giving life to a new design style, where you could choose the height of the legs to have a dining chair in the high version or a style, at that time modern, "the living at a low level", a way of living...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fur

Tom Dixon S-Chair with Marsh Wicker Upholstery for Cappellini
Located in New York, NY
The iconic S-chair by Tom Dixon is an object with an artisanal core, successfully transformed into an authentic Industrial masterpiece, without losing the essence of the original pro...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Tube Chair in Canaletto Walnut, Upholster Seat, by Giopato & Coombes
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This tube chair is available with a Canaletto wood structure, and an upholstered seat in the listed fabrics. The tube chair is also available in beech and solid oak wood. Cristiana Giopato...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood, Upholstery

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Czech Chair in White Plywood Seat and Beech Feet
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed in 1994, the Hermann Czech chair represents the turning point of modern furniture towards the passion of reminiscence and intimacy: a contemporary design that evokes memorie...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH N.14 Chair in Black with Plywood Seat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The great classic. The item that is absolutely the most famous and most sold in the history of furniture. Designed by Michael Thonet in 1860, the No. 14 chair immediately became know...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Puppy Pouffe with Real Ivory Leather by Marcantonio
Located in Kolkata, IN
Puppy Pouffe Ivory is a hip little seat with luxurious shaggy suede. This cute piece of furniture is a delight around the house like a new pup For his ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Chairs

Materials

Leather, Resin, Foam, Wood

Ebonized Oak "P60 A" Armchair by Robin Berrewaerts, Belgium 2022
Located in Utrecht, NL
Three legs, a seating and a backrest are the basic principles to form the base for each chair of the “P60” series. During the creation process, each piece gets its own, unique charac...
Category

2010s Belgian Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Customizable Powder-Coated Steel Sculptural Triangle Chair by Nazara Lazaro
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Triangle chair is part of the Steel Collection, a series inspired by Joan Miró’s paintings and Picasso’s harlequins with a monochromatic nod to t...
Category

2010s German Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

New York Chair 1 by Marras in Beige Upholstery & Chrome Legs by Sergio Bicego
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A sophisticated item of furniture for the dining area, the New York chair with or without armrests stands out with its sprightly structure and comfortable upholstery embellished by small tonal...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Hand Carved African Baule Tribal Chairs, Ivory Coast, Early 20th century
Located in Utrecht, NL
The Baule Tribe from the Ivory Coast of West Africa is well-known for their artistic tribal art, sculptures, and furniture. With a rich cultural history, their creations are also full of history both visually and in their execution. This beautiful pair of chairs is the visual epitome of the tribe’s talents. The thin, wooden yokes...
Category

Early 20th Century Ivorian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gufram, Red Detecma Lounge Chair by Tullio Regge
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Its name, an acronym for design, Technique and Mathematics, identifies by itself some of the characteristics that make this seat unique. These three values were united for the first ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Upholstery

Gufram, Green Detecma Lounge Chair By Tullio Regge
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Its name, an acronym for Design, Technique and Mathematics, identifies by itself some of the characteristics that make this seat unique. These three values were united for the first ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Upholstery

Ebonized Oak "P60" Chair by Robin Berrewaerts, Belgium 2022
Located in Utrecht, NL
Three legs, a seating and a backrest are the basic principles to form the base for each chair of the “P60” series. During the creation process, each piece gets its own, unique charac...
Category

2010s Belgian Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Roly Poly Polyethylene Armchair in Flesh by Faye Toogood for Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The distinctive, reassuringly chunky lines of Faye Toogood’s Roly-Poly furniture collection become even more inviting in her new collaboration with Driade. The latest line for the It...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Oltremare Armchair in Extra Grey Upholstery & Matt Black Legs by Antonio Marras
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The seating collection “Oltremare” designed by Antonio Marras and produced in collaboration with Saba, stems from a far-away past and place, ful...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Arflex Cradle Standard Armchair in Grey Boucle Fabric & Black Legs by Neri & Hu
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Its characteristic is based on the structure: a classic triangular construction, which is repeated several times around the model, so that you can admire it from each point of view. Additional information: Materials: Upholstered seat with Black legs Color: Boucle 6, T3 Base: Black finish Structure: Metal Frame upholstery: Moulded polyurethane foam / polyester slip cover. Seat cushion upholstery: Shaped polyurethane with differentiated density / polyester slip cover. Backrest and armrest cushions upholstery : Polyester fiber, cover in polyester fiber and cotton. Feet: Black lacquered metal and protective nylon glides. Belt: Testa di moro cow-hide. Cover: Fabric. Not removable cover. Dimensions: W. 100 x D. 82 x H. 70 Seat height: 42 cm Available in other upholstery option: Aran, Beddy, Brest, Cabas, Etoile, Glace, York/Devon, Boucle, Cherie, Lama, Ortiz, Walls, Blog, Hero, Steelcut 2, Divina md, Gamma Available in other version: Love cushion...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fabric

Arflex Elettra Chair in Divina Fabric with Black Metal Base by B.B.P.R
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A classic of the '50s office, Elettra is the seating you can't do without. Thanks to its timeless style and its elegant proportions, it adapts perfectly to...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fabric

Arflex Cradle "Love Cushion" Armchair in White Cherie Fabric by Neri & Hu
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Its characteristic is based on the structure: a classic triangular construction, which is repeated several times around the model, so that you can admire it from each point of view. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fabric

Gufram, Grey Detecma Lounge Chair By Tullio Regge
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Its name, an acronym for Design, Technique and Mathematics, identifies by itself some of the characteristics that make this seat unique. These three values were united for the first ...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Upholstery

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna Beaulieu Chair with Upholstered Seat by Philippe Nigro
Located in Brooklyn, NY
At the forefront of the scene, there is once again a partnership with Philippe Nigro, who has designed the new BEAULIEU chair in bent beechwood for GTV, where the curves, assembled l...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gervasoni Ghost 11 Chair in White Linen Upholstery by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Ghost sofa bed family combines functionality, comfort and aesthetics. Available in the armchair-bed and sofa-bed version in multiple sizes, the Ghos...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Modern chairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Modern chairs for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage chairs created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include seating, building and garden elements, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, fabric and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Modern chairs made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and Scandinavia pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original chairs, popular names associated with this style include Finn Juhl, Jover + Valls, Emeco, and Kartell. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for chairs differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $25 and tops out at $103,950 while the average work can sell for $2,723.

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