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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Lambskin, Mahogany
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Chrome
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wool
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Foam
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1960s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Hardwood
2010s Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Textile
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Wool, Upholstery, Wood
Early 2000s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Plastic
1980s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Lounge Chairs
Teak
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Cut Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Sapele Wood
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Hardwood
1950s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1990s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Marble
20th Century German Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Hungarian Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood, Fabric
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Indian Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
2010s Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Lounge Chairs
Linen, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Faux Fur, Wood
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
1980s French Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Iron
2010s Spanish Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wool
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Swedish Modern Lounge Chairs
Concrete
2010s Chinese Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet, Ash
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Mahogany