Skip to main content

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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

615
36
1
to
2
351
259
652
71
187
652
440
185
33
25
21
18
11
11
11
11
7
5
5
4
3
3
1
36
616
6
16
14
4
1
1
6
7
3
3
8
Height
to
Width
to
Depth
to
628
595
575
588
573
585
570
582
570
579
570
581
259
194
191
103
91
575
375
86
42
36
86
78
68
64
47
Style: Modern
Recognized Seller Listings
Gervasoni Up Chair in Grey Lacquered Legs with Pavone Upholstery by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Up chair without armrests has a structure in natural varnished Canaletto walnut or beech lacquered in white, grey, ocean, dove-grey or black. It is a low-backed chair with reduce...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Beech

Gervasoni Inout Armchair in Berlin 06 Upholstery and Oiled Iroko by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Enveloping and comfortable armchair, Inout 701 has a slatted structure: it is made of oiled Iroko, particularly durable wood because it is naturally resistant to water and moisture. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Gervasoni Brick Rocking Chair in Sage Upholstery & Natural Lacquered Walnut Base
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rocking chair in solid natural Canaletto walnut, bleached oak or oak lacquered in white, grey, black, ocean or dove-grey, Brick 307 has the seat and backrest softened by a single cus...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Czech Chair in Black with Plywood Seat
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 memories of times gone by. An ideal way of maintaining continuity with the late XIXth century Thonet style. ‘Czech’ adapts the harmony of steam bent beech wood to its pure and abstract design, which is further enhanced by the various finishes available. Solid and hardwearing, this chair is also available in a padded version, with or without armrests. The seat frame is curved from a single piece of wood, and supported by an arched structure giving it greater stability and strength plastic protection caps. Additional Information: Materials: Beechwood with Plywood Seat...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gervasoni Gray 21 Chair in White Lacquered Oak & Berlin Cushion by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Single-material chair with high backrest and visible vertical slats without armrests, Gray 21 is characterised by clean and essential lines, with the structure in natural painted Can...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Gervasoni Gray 21 Chair in Grey Lacquered Oak & Berlin Cushion by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Single-material chair with high backrest and visible vertical slats without armrests, Gray 21 is characterised by clean and essential lines, with the structure in natural painted Can...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Mariolina Chair in Anthracite Metal Legs, Silk Gray Shell, by E-GGs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This Mariolina chair is offered with iron legs in anthracite, a shell in polypropylene silk grey and the option to select an upholstered cushion material for your chair. The iron leg...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Claretta Bold Chair in Matching Aniline Base, Upholstery Seat, by Florian Schmid
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Claretta bold chair is available here in the aniline structure with matching foam seat cushion. It is also available for custom orders in the solid ash stru...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Pelleossa Chair in Black Wood, Upholstered Seat, by Francesco Faccin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This Pellerossa chair is shown here without an armrest, in black aniline wood with nine upholstery seating fabrics to select from. The upholstery options include leather, vegetable leather or sponge fabric. The Pellerossa's chair structure is also available in beech, Canaletto walnut or oakwood, as well as with an armrests, and in stool form. If you are interested in the Pelleossa chair...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood, Upholstery

Gervasoni Inout Armchair in Matt White Aluminium Frame with Grey Elastic Belts
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Family of chairs with and without armrests, with minimal structure and essential lines, Inout 823/824 develop around a light structure in white, grey or sage painted tubular aluminiu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Rubber

Gervasoni Inout 873 Chair in White Lacquered Steel with PVC Mesh Back Cover
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Essential chair, Inout 873 is characterised by a minimal structure made in white or grey painted steel. The seat is made of micro-perforated steel sheet metal, while the rounded back...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Gervasoni Jeko 01 Loveseat in Aspen 02 Upholstery and ECOTeak by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Armchairs in colonial style of exotic inspiration, Jeko 01/05 have a structure made of ECOTeak, a material coming from the reuse of recovered beams and teak elements that have been r...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH N.14 Chair in Black with Upholstered 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

Arflex Elettra Chair in Vega 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

Claretta Chair with Black Ash Frame & Musk Velvet Seat by Florian Schmid
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Parisian in character and drawing its inspiration from the traditional bistro chair, Claretta appears as a slender, impeccably groomed seat. The design is simple yet sports essential...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Ash

Gervasoni Gray 21 Chair in Black Lacquered Oak by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Single-material chair with high backrest and visible vertical slats without armrests, Gray 21 is characterised by clean and essential lines, with the structure in natural painted Can...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Gervasoni Gray 21 Chair in Black Lacquered Oak & Beige Cushion by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Single-material chair with high backrest and visible vertical slats without armrests, Gray 21 is characterised by clean and essential lines, with the structure in natural painted Can...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Customizable ClassiCon Adjustable Bar Stool No. 1 by Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
Eileen Gray designed bar stools in several variations. The Bar Stool No. 1 is the simplest and most handsome of them all. It initially found itself, along with the folding mirror Cas...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Customizable ClassiCon Euvira Rocking Chair by Jader Almeida
Located in New York, NY
The Euvira rocking chair by Jader Almeida is a masterful blend of yesterday and today, lightness and solidity. With its precisely orchestrated flowing li...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Customizable ClassiCon Bar Stool No. 2 by Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
Eileen gray created not only classical seats such as sofas or chairs, but also a series of unconventional bar stools. Version no. 2, originally designed for the house E 1027, also fe...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

ClassiCon Roquebrune Chair in Black with Chrome Legs by Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
For the terrace of her second house in Castellar Eileen Gray designed a very comfortable chair with a deep seating area. It was covered with blue canvas. She created another version,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Gervasoni Inout Armchair in Aspen 02 Upholstery & White Frame with Grey Elastic
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Inout 851 armchair develops around a light structure in white, grey or sage painted tubular aluminium, an ecological material, unique for its technical qualities. To this is adde...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Jasper Morrison Bac Chair in Bleached Ashwood for Cappellini
Located in New York, NY
Aesthetics and functionality form the perfect union in the Bac chair range. Envisioned by designer Jasper Morrison, these objects of design were inspired by ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood, Ash

Brogliato Traverso Newood Light Bar Stool in Bleached Ash for Cappellini
Located in New York, NY
BrogliatoTraverso studio has continued to amplify its celebrated family, inspired by classic Windsor chairs, this time in two ultra-light versions: Newood Light chair and Newood Ligh...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Stainless Steel

Shiro Kuramata 01 Chair in Anthracite Base and Cream Leather Seat for Cappellini
Located in New York, NY
Created as a tribute to the 1980s, the decade during which the original design was made and when Shiro Kuramata began his fertile collaboration with Cappellini, sedia 01 chair featur...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Iron

Gervasoni Inout 875 Chair in Oslo 05 Upholstery with White Lacquered Steel Frame
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Gervasoni Inout 875 Chair in Oslo 05 upholstery with white lacquered steel Chair in white lacquered steel. Seat loose cushion with removable cover. Add...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Gervasoni Inout Lounge Chair in Grey Elastic Belts Seat & White Aluminium Frame
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Defined by a wide seat with slightly curved backrest for an enveloping furnishing element, the Inout 856 lounge chair develops around a light structure in white, grey or sage painted...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Rubber

Gervasoni Jeko 05 Armchair in Capri 06 Upholstery and ECOTeak by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Armchairs in colonial style of exotic inspiration, Jeko 01/05 have a structure made of ECOTeak, a material coming from the reuse of recovered beams and teak elements that have been r...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Gervasoni Ken Armchair in White Matt Lacquered Aluminium Frame with Grey Rope
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Ken 23 chair, characterised by a minimal and informal style, is formed by a structure in matt white or grey painted tubular aluminium, a unique metal for its technical qualities,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Rope

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Lehnstuhl Lounge Chair with Upholstered 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 Morris High Back Black Chair with 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 Wiener Stuhl Chair in White with Wooven Cane Seat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"A simplified design to create an elegant, comfortable, popular item”. The structure has an all-embracing simplicity, and is formed from just a few elements in steam bent solid beech...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Czech Armchair in Steel Blue with Plywood Seat
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

Gervasoni Inout Corner Joint Element in Aspen 03 Upholstery with White Aluminium
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Gervasoni Inout Corner joint element in Aspen 03 upholstery with white aluminium Corner/end element with joint element, matt white, grey or sage lacquered aluminium tubular frame, w...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Brogliato Traverso Newood Light Bar Stool in Solid Ashwood for Cappellini
Located in New York, NY
BrogliatoTraverso studio has continued to amplify its celebrated family, inspired by classic Windsor chairs, this time in two ultra-light versions: Newood Light chair and Newood Ligh...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Stainless Steel

Gervasoni Brick 223 Chair in Ombra Upholstery with Natural Lacquered Walnut Base
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Nordic suggestions and industrial touches give life to the Brick 221/223 family of chairs. With a clean, simple structure in natural lacquered solid Canaletto walnut or beech lacquer...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Arflex Delfino Chair in Mistral Fabric with Golden Legs by Erberto Carboni
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Delfino armchair by Erberto Carboni is a significant example of the so-called ""organic"" furniture, which develops in the 1950s and draws inspiration from the forms of nature. With ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Fabric

Gervasoni Gray 24 Chair in White Oak & Berlin Upholstery Cushion by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Gray 24 is a wooden dining armchair with an enveloping low backrest in the shape of a semicircle made with slats. The solid wood legs intersect,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Gervasoni Ghost Out 25 Chair in Aspen 03 Upholstery by Paola Navone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Family of padded chairs with removable upholstery, Ghost Out 23/25 boast a comfortable and enveloping seat, with or without armrests, that develops around a light shell...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Gervasoni Brick Side Chair in Azzurro Upholstery with Black Lacquered Base
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Nordic suggestions and industrial touches give life to the Brick 221/223 family of chairs. With a clean, simple structure in natural lacquered solid Canaletto walnut or beech lacquer...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Gervasoni Inout Armchair in Aspen 02 Upholstery with Grey Aluminium Frame
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Inout 851 armchair develops around a light structure in white, grey or sage painted tubular aluminium, an ecological material, unique for its technical qualities. To this is adde...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Marino Modular Bench with LeftLow Panel in Kvadrat Maharam Merit Fabric by E-GGS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Marino is a modular bench system for configuring spaces freely. With organic shapes, seats and backrests combine and transform, reinforced by a whole range of accessories that make i...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH N.18 Chair in Stone Grey with Plywood Seat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A great classic that made the history of this brand. Conceived by the company during the second half of the nineteenth century to meet the precise needs of practicality, the n°18 is ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gervasoni Inout Armchair in Aspen 02 Upholstery & White Frame with Black Elastic
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Inout 851 armchair develops around a light structure in white, grey or sage painted tubular aluminium, an ecological material, unique for its technical qualities. To this is adde...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

Roly Poly Polyethylene Armchair with Cushions, 1stdibs Gallery Showroom Sample
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

Fabric, Plastic

Forest Lounge Chair with Brass Inlay by Marcantonio
Located in Kolkata, IN
Forest lounge chair with brass inlay by Marcantonio, is a luxurious, pop chair, a conversation piece in any space. It is covered in brass "fur...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Chairs

Materials

Brass

Moroso Supernatural Perforated Side Chair Set of 4 by Ross Lovegrove
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Multisensory design which calls out to be stroked, interpreted through touch and constantly re-processed. Its sinuous lines reach out into the space around it. Solids and voids, absences that become presences when they encounter light, air, the human body. The holes in the backrest, like a perforated...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Gervasoni Panda 05 Armchair in Capri 04 Upholstery & White/Gray Resin Fiber
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Soft and welcoming shapes and consistent volumes characterise the Panda 05 armchair; it has a structure and feet in aluminium and weave in white or grey Panda Resin synthetic polyeth...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Resin

DeCastelli Via Veneto Armchair in DeLabré Orbitale Brass by Minelli Fossati
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Via Veneto seat is inspired by the 1960s and recalls the atmosphere of the Roman “dolce vita”. The double symmetrical tubular structure in painted stain...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Brass

Grey Chair in Chenille & Solid Wood Molteni&C by Rodolfo Dordoni - made in Italy
Located in New York, NY
Chelsea Armless Chair in Velvet by Rodolfo Dordoni - Expert-crafted in Italy exclusively by Molteni&C The Chelsea is a contemporary armless dining chair by Rodolfo Dordoni crafte...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Chenille, Wood

Jasper Morrison Medium Morrison Stool in Bleached Ash for Cappellini
Located in New York, NY
Available in three different heights, the Morrison stool by Jasper Morrison has a slightly concave seat that is a harmonious contrast to the straight, well-defined lines of the base:...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Stainless Steel

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Sugiloo Chair in Dark Green by Michael Anastassiades
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The rigorous style of Michael Anastassiades defines the new SUGILOO bent wood chair with wood or upholstered seat, proposed with and without wooden backrest. A strongly contemporary ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Beech

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Czech Black Chair with Upholstered Seat & 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

"Shortwave" Upholstered Chair with Frame in Varnished Ash by Moroso for Diesel
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Shortwave" is a chair, designed by Diesel Creative Team and manufactured by Moroso, featuring a structure in varnished ash, a seat and a back in birch covered by flame-retardant str...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Ash, Leather, Fabric, Velvet, Birch

Jasper Morrison Tate Chair in Fabric or Leather Upholstery for Cappellini
Located in New York, NY
Easy to stack, to a maximum of 6 pieces, the Tate chair designed by Jasper Morrison is part of a range that includes chairs and stools. This series has a ba...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Foam, Beech, Plywood

Jasper Morrison Tate Stool Upholstered in Fabric or Leather for Cappellini
Located in New York, NY
Easy to stack – to a maximum of 6 pieces – the Tate chair designed by Jasper Morrison is part of a range that includes chairs and stools. This series has a ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Foam, Beech, Plywood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Schaukelstuhl in Beech with Upholsterd Cane
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rocking chair with structure in bent beech-wood, seat and backrest are made of woven cane. Available in classic or lacquered wood. Additional Info: Materials: Walnut , Woven cane...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Czech Armchair in Dark Walnut with Plywood Seat
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

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.

Recently Viewed

View All