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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Spanish Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Bouclé, Ash
2010s Danish Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chairs
Ash, Wood, Acrylic, Linen, Cotton, Fabric, Velvet, Bouclé, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Steel
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Chairs
Brass, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chairs
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Cane, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
2010s Colombian Modern Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s American Modern Chairs
Wood, Mahogany
2010s American Modern Chairs
Bamboo
2010s American Modern Chairs
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s American Modern Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
20th Century American Modern Chairs
Steel
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Chairs
Synthetic, Teak
20th Century Indian Modern Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Chairs
Teak
1980s Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Philippine Modern Chairs
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Fabric, Teak
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Walnut
2010s Brazilian Modern Chairs
Leather, Textile, Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Brass
20th Century Modern Chairs
Wrought Iron
2010s American Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Oak
2010s Spanish Modern Chairs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Foam, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Modern Chairs
Pine, Straw
1920s German Vintage Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Harewood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Chairs
Marble, Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Chairs
Sheepskin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Ceramic, Fabric, Walnut
1980s Israeli Vintage Modern Chairs
Cut Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Chairs
Wool, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Philippine Modern Chairs
Steel, Stainless Steel
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chairs
Metal
2010s Indonesian Modern Chairs
Teak
2010s French Modern Chairs
Fabric, Foam, Wood, Ash, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Chairs
Brass
2010s South African Modern Chairs
Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Chairs
Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Chairs
Porcelain