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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Textile
2010s Mexican Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Belgian Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Lounge Chairs
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Ultrasuede
1990s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Steel
1980s French Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Polyester, Maple, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Plastic
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
1950s Mexican Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Pine
2010s Argentine Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood
1950s European Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Plastic
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Foam
20th Century German Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Faux Fur, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Fabric
2010s Chinese Modern Lounge Chairs
Marble, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Beech
Early 2000s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Oak
1980s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Textile, Fiberglass
1950s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Cut Steel
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
Early 20th Century European Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé, Oak, Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Belgian Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Paint, Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass, Metal
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
1980s British Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Foam, Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
2010s Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Oak, Fabric, Faux Fur, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Foam
2010s English Modern Lounge Chairs
Wool, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet, Synthetic, Polyester, Oak, Walnut
Early 2000s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel