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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
2010s Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Concrete
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass, Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
1960s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
1970s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Foam, Lucite
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Chinese Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Mirror
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood, Ash
2010s Argentine Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Indian Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé
2010s Mexican Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Foam
Early 2000s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Wicker
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Faux Leather, Rubber, Plywood, Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Foam
1950s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Teak, Leather, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
1940s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s German Modern Lounge Chairs
Oak
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Resin
1940s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Mahogany, Upholstery
1950s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
1970s French Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Upholstery, Foam
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Wrought Iron
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Early 2000s North American Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plastic
1980s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Indian Modern Lounge Chairs
Suede
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood, Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Hardwood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
2010s Finnish Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Fiberglass
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Chrome
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany, Sapele Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric