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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Modern Settees
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Settees
Canvas, Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Fabric, Wicker
20th Century Modern Settees
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Settees
Upholstery, Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Settees
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Settees
Bouclé, Upholstery
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Settees
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Settees
Fabric, Walnut
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Fabric, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Settees
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Settees
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Settees
Birch
2010s American Modern Settees
Walnut, Cherry, Sapele Wood
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Settees
Leather, Chenille, Rattan
2010s European Modern Settees
Bronze
1970s Vintage Modern Settees
Mohair, Wood
2010s American Modern Settees
Bouclé, Maple
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Settees
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Fabric
2010s American Modern Settees
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Leather, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Settees
Marble, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Wood, Fabric
1980s French Vintage Modern Settees
Cotton, Bamboo, Foam
2010s American Modern Settees
Elm, Walnut
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Settees
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Settees
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Metal
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Settees
Sheepskin
2010s American Modern Settees
Leather, Maple
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Leather
2010s American Modern Settees
Bouclé, Maple
1990s American Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Settees
Fabric, Oak, Bentwood
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Wood
1990s Modern Settees
Leather
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Settees
Leather, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Leather, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Wood, Fabric