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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Beech
Mid-20th Century Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Concrete
2010s Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
2010s Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s European Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Foam
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Iron
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
2010s Finnish Modern Lounge Chairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Polish Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Canvas, Wood, Oak
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Wool, Mohair, Acrylic, Ash, Sheepskin, Faux Fur
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Beech
1970s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1960s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
2010s South African Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Ceramic, Bouclé, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
1990s Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Asian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Rope, Teak, Upholstery
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Chrome
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Glass, Wood
1950s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Wool
1970s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s European Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé, Rattan, Oak
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wool
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
2010s English Modern Lounge Chairs
Wool, Bouclé
2010s Mexican Modern Lounge Chairs
Oak
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Wool, Faux Fur
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass, Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet, Cane, Wood
2010s French Modern Lounge Chairs
Marble
1980s Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Oak
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Down
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Aluminum
2010s Ukrainian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Wool, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s English Modern Lounge Chairs
Cork
2010s French Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
Plastic