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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Finnish Modern Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Leather
1980s American Vintage Modern Chairs
Fabric, Pine, Rush
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Chairs
Wood
1990s French Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Fabric, Lacquer
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s French Modern Chairs
Antler, Plywood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Chairs
Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Oak
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Faux Leather, Wood
2010s French Modern Chairs
Other
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Metal, Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Hardwood, Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Walnut
2010s American Modern Chairs
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Mohair, Bouclé, Linen, Velvet, Wood, Beech, Oak, Walnut
2010s French Modern Chairs
Textile, Upholstery, Beech
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Chairs
Fabric
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Hardwood
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chairs
Resin
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Linen, Bouclé, Mohair, Leather, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Chairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Chairs
Walnut, Velvet
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Leather
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Textile, Foam, Ash, Plywood
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Vietnamese Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Chairs
Steel
1920s French Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s French Modern Chairs
Antler, Plywood