Modern Lounge 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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century French Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet, Wood
1990s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel, Aluminum
1960s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Faux Leather
1990s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Velvet, Wood
1970s French Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Upholstery
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood
1940s Belgian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Cotton, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
1990s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Cotton, Hardwood
1950s European Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Steel
1950s European Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Steel
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
1990s Belgian Modern Lounge Chairs
Hardwood
1990s Belgian Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Hardwood
1980s Norwegian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1990s English Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
20th Century Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
20th Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Felt
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Chrome
1990s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Cord
1990s Modern Lounge Chairs
Cotton, Velvet
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Rattan
1990s Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Maple
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Fiberglass
1990s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
Late 20th Century French Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
1980s Finnish Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1980s Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1970s Brazilian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé, Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
1970s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
20th Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Nylon, Plywood
1950s German Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Lounge Chairs
Cowhide, Teak
1970s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1930s Swiss Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Oak
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather