Modern Settees
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Linen, Mahogany
1940s Danish Vintage Modern Settees
Linen, Mahogany
1940s Danish Vintage Modern Settees
Upholstery, Beech, Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Metal
2010s American Modern Settees
Maple, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Settees
Velvet, Oak, Walnut
Early 2000s American Modern Settees
Tapestry, Mohair, Cotton, Wood, Down, Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Settees
Wool
2010s American Modern Settees
Maple, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Settees
Brass
1960s American Vintage Modern Settees
Fiberglass, Rubber
20th Century Italian Modern Settees
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Metal, Copper
2010s American Modern Settees
Bouclé, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Settees
Leather
1930s French Vintage Modern Settees
Mahogany
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Steel
1940s Danish Vintage Modern Settees
Linen, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Settees
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Leather
2010s English Modern Settees
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Bronze
2010s American Modern Settees
Bouclé, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Metal
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Settees
Leather, Chenille, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Settees
Marble, Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Settees
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Settees
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Settees
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Wood, Fabric
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Leather, Wood
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Fabric, Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Settees
Upholstery, Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Settees
Velvet, Walnut
1990s European Modern Settees
Aluminum
1990s Italian Modern Settees
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Settees
Bouclé, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Settees
Bouclé, Oak
Late 20th Century Modern Settees
Fabric
1970s American Vintage Modern Settees
Upholstery, Acrylic, Walnut
1940s Danish Vintage Modern Settees
Upholstery, Beech, Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Linen, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Settees
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Settees
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Settees
Sheepskin
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Velvet
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Settees
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Velvet, Wood