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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Settees
Elm, Walnut
1980s American Vintage Modern Settees
Canvas, Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Bouclé, Resin, Rubber, Plywood
1990s German Modern Settees
Wool, Wood
2010s Modern Settees
Metal
20th Century Modern Settees
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Settees
Upholstery, Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Settees
Bouclé, Upholstery
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 American Modern Settees
Birch
2010s English Modern Settees
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Settees
Fabric, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Settees
Metal
1970s Vintage Modern Settees
Mohair, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Settees
Leather
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Settees
Leather, Chenille, Rattan
2010s British Modern Settees
Nylon
2010s British Modern Settees
Nylon
2010s British Modern Settees
Nylon
2010s British Modern Settees
Nylon
2010s British Modern Settees
Nylon
2010s Italian Modern Settees
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Settees
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Settees
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Settees
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Settees
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Settees
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Settees
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Settees
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Settees
Walnut, Lacquer
2010s French Modern Settees
Fabric, Foam, Plywood
1990s Italian Modern Settees
Steel, Chrome
2010s American Modern Settees
Walnut, Cherry, Sapele Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Settees
Bouclé, Oak
2010s French Modern Settees
Steel
2010s French Modern Settees
Steel
2010s French Modern Settees
Steel
2010s French Modern Settees
Steel
2010s French Modern Settees
Steel
2010s French Modern Settees
Iron
Late 20th Century Modern Settees
Fabric, Oak, Bentwood
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Stone, Travertine
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Aluminum
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Settees
Stainless Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Settees
Aluminum
2010s Spanish Modern Settees
Fabric, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Fabric, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Settees
Foam, Fabric
2010s Portuguese Modern Settees
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Settees
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Settees
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Settees
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Settees
Foam, Wood, Upholstery