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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1990s American Modern Chairs
Maple
2010s Danish Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Chairs
Steel
1990s American Modern Chairs
Textile, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Hardwood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Textile, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Chairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Brass
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Aluminum, Silver, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Faux Leather, Wood, Cane, Rattan
Early 2000s Dutch Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Chairs
Rush, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Textile, Cane, Wood, Hardwood, Leather, Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Chairs
Wood, Nutwood
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s French Modern Chairs
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s French Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Chairs
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Oak
2010s Canadian Modern Chairs
Walnut
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Philippine Modern Chairs
Rattan, Foam, Maple
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Papercord, Wood, Oak
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Fur, Faux Fur, Sheepskin, Linen, Velvet, Wood, Ash
2010s American Modern Chairs
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood, Mohair, Bouclé, Linen, Velvet
1980s English Vintage Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Leather, Linen
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Velvet
2010s Belgian Modern Chairs
Walnut
Early 1900s American Antique Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Fabric
Early 1900s Italian Antique Modern Chairs
Wrought Iron
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Oak
2010s American Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Chairs
Textile
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Velvet
2010s Mexican Modern Chairs
Cane, Wood, Cedar
2010s American Modern Chairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood, Oak, Mohair, Bouclé, Linen, Velvet, Walnut








