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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wenge, Wood, Faux Leather
2010s Turkish Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1970s Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
1960s Indian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Chenille
1970s French Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood
1990s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Cut Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s Asian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Rattan, Rope, Teak
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Mahogany
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
Late 20th Century French Modern Lounge Chairs
Ultrasuede
2010s Mexican Modern Lounge Chairs
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Mirror
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1960s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
2010s British Modern Lounge Chairs
Composition
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Other
2010s Finnish Modern Lounge Chairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
1990s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood, Fabric
1980s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé, Wood
2010s British Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood, Walnut
2010s Finnish Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Glass
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Sheepskin, Beech
2010s Finnish Modern Lounge Chairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Early 2000s Swedish Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Textile
2010s Mexican Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Finnish Modern Lounge Chairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Textile
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Ash, Leather
2010s Finnish Modern Lounge Chairs
Fiberglass, Leather
2010s Mexican Modern Lounge Chairs
Wicker, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Lounge Chairs
Textile
2010s Asian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Rattan, Rope, Teak
2010s Spanish Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
2010s German Modern Lounge Chairs
Oak
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Wool
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Asian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Rope, Teak
2010s Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Walnut
1980s French Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Philippine Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s French Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood, Fabric, Foam
2010s Modern Lounge Chairs
Bentwood
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Ceramic, Upholstery, Walnut