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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
1970s Brazilian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
2010s Belgian Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Brazilian Modern Lounge Chairs
Lacquer, Leather, Fabric, Cane
2010s Canadian Modern Lounge Chairs
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Ash
2010s German Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Marble
1990s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Teak
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Fabric
2010s Mexican Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Wool, Mohair, Acrylic, Ash, Sheepskin, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
2010s Spanish Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Cut Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Wicker
1970s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century French Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1980s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Sheepskin, Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Lounge Chairs
Fiberglass
2010s Asian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Synthetic, Rattan, Rope, Teak
1970s French Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Wool
2010s Asian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Rope
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wenge, Wood, Faux Leather
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
1990s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
Early 2000s Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Wicker, Cane, Mahogany, Walnut
2010s Indian Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Resin
Early 2000s Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
Early 2000s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Fabric
1990s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern Lounge Chairs
Teak, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
Early 2000s Belgian Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
20th Century Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Concrete, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass