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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Brazilian Modern Chairs
Cane, Wood, Hardwood, Leather
2010s American Modern Chairs
Maple
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
2010s French Modern Chairs
Other
2010s American Modern Chairs
Resin, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Fabric, Walnut, Oak, Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Chairs
Plastic
2010s European Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Linen, Bouclé, Mohair, Leather, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Chairs
Plastic
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Walnut
2010s French Modern Chairs
Antler, Elm
2010s French Modern Chairs
Antler, Elm
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Chairs
Textile
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Maple
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Upholstery
Early 20th Century Indian Modern Chairs
Teak
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Leather, Ash, Wood, Acrylic, Faux Leather, Bouclé, Alpaca, Wool, Fabric
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Chrome
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Leather, Straw, Wood
1960s Indian Vintage Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Teak
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Hardwood, Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood, Hardwood, Cane
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Linen, Bouclé, Mohair, Leather, Velvet, Wood
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Chairs
Fabric, Beech
2010s French Modern Chairs
Bronze
2010s Chinese Modern Chairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Leather, Elm
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Wood, Leather, Mohair, Linen, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Chairs
Sheepskin
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Wood, Hardwood, Cane, Textile, Upholstery
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Cane, Upholstery, Textile, Wood, Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
1980s American Vintage Modern Chairs
Fabric, Pine, Rush
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Hardwood
20th Century American Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate, Hardwood
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Cane, Wood, Hardwood, Leather
2010s Danish Modern Chairs
Wood, Sheepskin
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Wood, Leather, Canvas, Velvet, Polyester
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Marble, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Wood, Cedar
20th Century Indian Modern Chairs
Rope, Wood, Teak