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Modern Side Chairs

MODERN STYLE

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 chaircrafted 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.

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Item type: New and Made To Order
Style: Modern
Celeste Chair in Boucle Fabric and Brass and Mint Metal by Lara Bohinc
Located in Holland, AMSTERDAM
Celeste chair plays with contrasting shapes, materials and textures. The circles and squares join to make a chair that has both substance and lightness. ...
Category

2010s British Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Pair of Chic 'Méandre' Side Chairs by Design Frères
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of chic undulating 'Méandre' side chairs by Design Frères. Bronzed steel frames. Natural linen upholstered cushions. These Méandre™ chairs from our exclusive Design Frères® li...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel

Solid Bentwood Side Chair Stool, Velvet Upholstery by Raka Studio
Located in Cape Girardeau, MO
A side/filler chair made in solid ashwood by bending wood. Three of the legs have been made using the wood-turning technique to adopt an abstract natural wave-like design. It has bee...
Category

2010s Unknown Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Ash, Bentwood, Velvet

Suelo Modern Side Chair
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
This Suelo modern side chair is beautifully constructed from solid wood in Ohio, USA. The lounge chair's silhouette is simple, modern, and slee...
Category

2010s North American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Hardwood

Opinion Ciatti Tab.u Small Stool
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Take a wooden frame, cover it in aluminium and then work its surface, ""scrunch” it by hand to achieve a crimpled profile. This is the process at the core of the Tab.u Collection, stools and tables with absolutely distinctive lines. The low Tab.u stool, the firstborn in the family, is a really versatile object. It is perfect in any environment and for all uses: around the table for an unexpected guest, in the bathroom to rest objects or towels, in the living room when there is no more room on the sofa or in the bedroom instead of the usual bedside table. Its elder brother, Big Tab.u is a traditional tall bar stool. It is stunning around a counter or a kitchen island, both at home or in the most glamorous clubs. The family is complete with the addition of the Tab.u Mirror and the Tab.u Lamp...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

Mid-Century Modern Dining Chairs Set of 8
Located in New York, NY
Mid-Century Modern curved back dining chairs upholstered in black faux leather. Crafted of solid heavy full grain hardwood with walnut finish. Perfect for either casual or formal di...
Category

2010s Portuguese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Faux Leather, Wood

Kartell Eur Stool in White by Fabio Novembre
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The EUR stool by Fabio Novembre is a cube printed with shapes and geometries inspired, to scale, by Italian rationalist architecture of the 1930s and 1940s. The stool can be multi-pu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Aluminum Chair "Industry Garden Furniture" by Seletti, White
Located in Doral, FL
From its very first year in 1964, Seletti in Cicognara, Mantova, has followed its principle of professionality service and constant research to strive for betterness innovation and o...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

Vanity Seat in Grey Lacquer by Robert Kuo, Limited Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vanity seat. Grey lacquer. Handmade. Wood base. Lacquer is a technique that dates back to the Shang dynasty, circa 1600-1100 B.C. These pieces are made with at least 60 coats of org...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Lacquer

Mid-Century Modern Dining Chairs, Set of 8
Located in New York, NY
Mid-Century Modern curved back dining chairs upholstered in black faux leather. Crafted of solid black wood frame for either casual or formal dining room or kitchen. This chair is ...
Category

2010s Portuguese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Faux Leather, Wood

Modern, Walnut Timber, Solid Brass and Boucle' Malta Dining and Lounge Chair
Located in Bothas Hill, KZN
The Modern Malta dining room chair designed by Egg Designs and manufactured in South Africa works equally well as a lounge or side chair. This Modern style dining room chair...
Category

2010s South African Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Brass

Set of 6 Couture Dining Chairs, Grey Beige Oak/Plated Gold
Located in New York, NY
Artist handmade dining chairs in solid oak lacquered in grey beige. The chair is offered grey beige premium velvet to match the finish of the fr...
Category

2010s Portuguese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Stainless Steel

Set of 8 Custom Modern Leather Dining Chairs with Washed Finish
Located in North York, ON
Set of 8 custom modern leather dining chairs with washed finish. This Neo-Deco side chair is a Carrocel custom piece. The frame is composed of unfinished maple with a curved rectangu...
Category

2010s Canadian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Leather, Maple

Declan Side Chair
Located in Houston, TX
Our declan side chair exudes sophisticated elegance. It is sleek and curvaceous, with the perfectly unexpected walnut and brass back detailing. Shown here in wool - mineral, black o...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Brass

Seletti Pink "Lipsticks" Upholstered Occasional Chair by Toiletpaper
Located in Doral, FL
Mix and match the wildest graphics designed by Toiletpaper and get the most iconic dining room of all. Also available in blue. - Material: Fabrics in polyester, frame in wood with...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Polyester, Wood

Spade Ashwood Corner Chair by Faye Toogood
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Spade chair is an ode to the rural life in the English countryside in which designer Faye Toogood grew up and had her first encounters with shapes and colors of the natural world. Th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Wood

Seletti "Revolver" Upholstered Occasional Chair by Toiletpaper
Located in Doral, FL
Mix and match the wildest graphics designed by Toiletpaper and get the most iconic dining room of all. - Material: Fabrics in polyester, frame in wood with polyurethane padding an...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Polyester, Wood

Seletti "Lipsticks" Upholstered Occasional Chair by Toiletpaper
Located in Doral, FL
Mix and match the wildest graphics designed by Toiletpaper and get the most iconic dining room of all. - Material: Fabrics in polyester, frame in wood with polyurethane padding an...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Polyester, Wood

Emeco Broom Counter Stool in White by Philippe Starck
Located in Hanover, PA
Philippe Starck and Emeco came together to create a new chair that is reclaimed, repurposed, recyclable – and designed to last. The chair is made from 75% waste polypropylene and 15% reclaimed wood that would normally be swept into the trash, “Imagine”, says Philippe Starck, “a guy who takes a humble broom...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

Seletti "Studio Job-Blow" Metal Folding Chair, Mouth
Located in Doral, FL
Seletti together with the quirky duo, Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel create the craziest and most innovative brand collaboration with unconventional and irresistibly cheeky designs. Hot dogs, sensual lips, eggs and herbs contaminate the pushy styles of these hyper-realism Pop Artists. Haute couture design becomes prêt-à-porter loaded with a disruptive force that transforms any object into a sculpture. Blow and Un_Limited: Not just a collection of objects. Blow is a new multi-faceted design brand, aimed at the concept of affordable design. This new family of objects in a “pop” spirit includes rugs, LED lamps, foldable chairs, a set of porcelain plates and mirrors. Its first capsule collection again highlights once more Seletti’s passion for unconventional projects. Stefano Seletti, the brand’s art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

ISU Lowback Handcrafted Textured Satin Metal Chair by Soraya Osorio
Located in Vero Beach, FL
ISU Lowback chair has a handcrafted satin grazed textured metal finish that sheens when exposed to light. The 1.50" seat cushion is a lustrous black hair on hide. COM accepted upon ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal, Aluminum

CraftAssociates Dining Chair, Milo Baughman Dining Chairs, Oval, Cane, Walnut
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
CraftAssociates Dining Chair, Milo Baughman Dining Chairs, Oval, Cane, Walnut The Milo Baughman Oval Cane Back Walnut Side Chair for Craft Associates® Furniture is expertly crafted....
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Sheepskin, Walnut, Wood

Trolley Armless Side Chair by Phase Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Trolley Armless Side Chair by Phase Design Dimensions: D 59.7 x W 55.2 x H 81.3 cm. Materials: Leather and polished chrome. Solid steel bar available in a smoked brass, polished ch...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Chrome

Trolley Side Chair With Arms by Phase Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Trolley Side Chair With Arms by Phase Design Dimensions: D 59.7 x W 55.2 x H 81.3 cm. Materials: Leather and polished chrome. Solid steel bar available in a smoked brass, polished ...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Chrome

Trolley Side Chair With Arms by Phase Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Trolley Side Chair With Arms by Phase Design Dimensions: D 59.7 x W 55.2 x H 81.3 cm. Materials: Upholstery and powder-coated metal. Solid steel bar available in a smoked brass, po...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Trolley Side Chair With Arms by Phase Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Trolley Side Chair With Arms by Phase Design Dimensions: D 59.7 x W 55.2 x H 81.3 cm. Materials: Upholstery and powder-coated metal. Solid steel bar available in a smoked brass, po...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Kickstand Armless Side Chair by Phase Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Kickstand Armless Side Chair by Phase Design Dimensions: D 63.5 x W 55.9 x H 79.4 cm. Materials: Leather, powder-coated metal and brushed brass. Solid steel bar available in a flat...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal, Brass

Kickstand Side Chair With Arms by Phase Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Kickstand Side Chair With Arms by Phase Design Dimensions: D 63.5 x W 59.1 x H 79.4 cm. Materials: Upholstery, powder-coated metal and brushed brass. Solid steel bar available in a...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal, Brass

Kickstand Armless Side Chair by Phase Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Kickstand Armless Side Chair by Phase Design Dimensions: D 63.5 x W 55.9 x H 79.4 cm. Materials: Upholstery, powder-coated metal and brushed brass. Solid steel bar available in a f...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal, Brass

Stay Side Modern Accent Vanity Chair
Located in North York, ON
The Stay Side Modern Accent Vanity Chair is a must-have addition to any seating space. This striking chair features a sleek brass metal frame that adds a touch of elegance to any roo...
Category

2010s Polish Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal, Brass

Petite Upholstered Accent Chair
Located in Westwood, NJ
This petite seat calls to mind the exquisite detail and drape of a bustle dress, fashionable during the late 1880s. Its elegant silhouette features a low camelback and dressmaker ski...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Bent Wood Dining Chair With Rattan Cane Backrest, Set of 8
Located in New York, NY
This dining chair, at first glance, appears typical, yet upon closer inspection, it reveals unique features. The backrest, crafted from two elegantly curved pieces, coupled with a s...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Leather, Wood

Contemporary Dining Chair Offered in Brick Velvet
Located in New York, NY
Timeless design in combination with handmade couture techniques. The dining chair features curved wooden upholstered back for greater comfort. Offered...
Category

2010s Portuguese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Polished Aluminum Magna Chair or Stool with Sheepskin Upholstery, Customizable
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Made from rolled aluminum — in a non-directional satin finish — and sheepskin, the Magna chair, designed by Charles Constantine, takes its inspiration from...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

Pair of Chic 'Méandre' Bronze Chairs by Design Frères
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of Méandre™ dark bronze side chairs by DESIGN FRÈRES®. Chic and understated.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel

Declan Barstool
Located in Houston, TX
Our Declan Barstool is the newest piece in our collection. Just like our Declan Side Chair it exudes sophisticated elegance. It is sleek and curvaceous, with the perfectly unexpecte...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Brass

21st Century Bare Chair in Fabric col. Bean by Etro Home Interiors
Located in Cantù, Lombardia
Comfortable as an armchair, Bare chair stands out for its retro lines and enveloping backrest, upholstered with Etro Home Interiors iconic fabrics. The chair features a fir wood stru...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Moroso Redondo Small Armchair by Patricia Urquiola
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An armchair with a distinctive two–part shape, the padded shell embraces the huge seat cushions. Its curves are shown off by the total absence of sharp corners and the softness of th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel

Kartell Attila Table-Stool in Colored by Philippe Starck
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Attila table-stool, is a charismatic personality of striking originality and anti-conformism. Stools and tables which are cute and humorous but with one eye on functionality, thought...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Emeco Broom Stacking Chair in White by Philippe Starck
Located in Hanover, PA
Philippe Starck and Emeco came together to create a new chair that is reclaimed, repurposed, recyclable – and designed to last. The chair is made from 75% waste polypropylene and 15% reclaimed wood fiber that would normally be swept into the trash, “Imagine”, says Philippe Starck, “a guy who takes a humble broom and starts to clean the workshop and with this dust he makes new magic”. That’s why we call it Broom chair...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Emeco Counter Stool in Brushed Aluminum by Philippe Starck
Located in Hanover, PA
The Museum of Modern Art asked Philippe Starck and Emeco to make a simple stool for the “Mies Van der Rohe in Berlin” retrospective. The result is one of our best selling stools, a c...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

Emeco Broom Counter Stool in Tan by Philippe Starck
Located in Hanover, PA
Philippe Starck and Emeco came together to create a new chair that is reclaimed, repurposed, recyclable – and designed to last. The chair is made from 75% waste polypropylene and 15%...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

Emeco 20-06 Stacking Chair in Brushed Aluminium by Norman Foster
Located in Hanover, PA
Emeco’s collaboration with Norman Foster resulted in the “20-06” Stacking chair. Foster envisioned a more “neutral” stacking chair-visually and physically lightweight. But the 20-06 ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

'Sn3' Wood and Metal Stool in the Manner of Pierre Chareau
Located in Glendale, CA
'SN3' wood and metal stool in the manner of Pierre Chareau. Handcrafted in the Los Angeles and French workshops of noted French designer and antiques dealer Denis de le Mesiere...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel

Bling Bling Chair by Pietro Franceschini
Located in Geneve, CH
Bling bling chair by Pietro Franceschini Sold exclusively by Galerie Philia Manufacturer: Stefano Minotti Dimensions: W 79 ...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Bouclé, Ash

Hygge Stool by Collector
Located in Geneve, CH
Hygge stool by Collector Materials: structure in solid oak wood. Upholstered in Pierre Frey fabric. Legs: Travertino Dimensions: 45 x H 44 cm Hygge collection is inspired by contemp...
Category

2010s Portuguese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Travertine

Black Playdough Chair by kar
Located in Geneve, CH
Black Playdough chair by kar Materials: FRP. Dimensions: 37 x 39 x 89 cm. Soft like cotton, with a strong contrast to the hard texture, the unique app...
Category

2010s Chinese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Fiberglass

Chic 'Méandre' Bronze Side Chair by Design Frères
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The 'Méandre'™ dark bronze side chair by Design Frères®. Chic and understated.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel

1 of 2 Deposit for Tamara Meadow Interiors
Located in Bronx, NY
ONE OF TWO DEPOSIT FOR Tamara Meadow Interiors HORSECHAIR NO. 2 J.M. Szymanski d. 2021 Contemporary furniture at its finest. Horsehair textile and blackened iron are combined to cr...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel, Iron

Mid-Century Modern Dining Chair
Located in New York, NY
Mid-Century Modern curved back dining chairs upholstered in black faux leather. Crafted of solid black wood frame for either casual or formal dining room or kitchen. This chair is ...
Category

2010s Portuguese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Faux Leather, Wood

Declan Side Chair
Located in Houston, TX
Our declan side chair exudes sophisticated elegance. It is sleek and curvaceous, with the perfectly unexpected walnut and brass back detailing. Shown here in wool - mineral, black ...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Brass

Set of 6 Modern Grey Dining Chairs
Located in North York, ON
Set of 6 Modern Grey Dining Chairs. Upholstered in soft grey chenille and hounds-tooth patterned fabric on the outside back, trimmed in aged nickel head to head nails. Each frame is ...
Category

2010s Canadian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Handcrafted Matrice Chair in Gold Steel and Blue Velvet
Located in MONTROZIER, FR
Matrice side chair is a steel corset compressing a velvet fleece, an organic, carnal form, compressed by a wire mesh. The interaction of two antagonistic materials reminds us of the poetry of blown glass, the bodice on the waist, the imprint left on the body by the wicker chairs. We tried to give the seat a feeling of comfort, both visually and in its use. The iconic Chesterfield sofa quickly became a reference to be summoned. Matrice is a reinterpretation, a sensitive statement of its imprint: the upholstery here is turned over like a glove, revealing the wire mesh structure. The latter forms a corset compressing the softness of the seat and backrest to give it an organic geometry. Matrice is customizable on demand (colors of steel and fabrics, other fabrics), modular in chair or multi-seater bench, and each piece is numbered. This handcrafted chair...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel, Metal

Chile Modern Side Chair
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
This Chile modern side chair is beautifully constructed from solid wood in Ohio, USA. The lounge chair's silhouette is simple, modern, and sleek with comfortable back and seat cushio...
Category

2010s American Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Hardwood

Set of 2 Hygge Stool by Collector
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Hygge stool by Collector Materials: Structure in solid oak wood. Upholstered in Pierre Frey fabric. Legs: Travertino Dimensions: 45 x H 44 cm Depe...
Category

2010s Portuguese Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Travertine

Ribbon Chair Metal Silver by Nika Zupanc, Made in Italy
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Scroll down and click "view all from Seller" to see more than 400 other unique products. (2.2) The Ribbon chair is the object that expresses the female language of Nika Zupanc with ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Opinion Ciatti Foliae Sculptural Stool
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A stool with multiple uses, made by welding small sheets of metal. This is how the projects of the Foliae collection are born, sculptural objects, between art and design, which come ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel

Opinion Ciatti Tab.u Large Stool
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Take a wooden frame, cover it in aluminium and then work its surface, ""scrunch” it by hand to achieve a crimpled profile. This is the process at the core of the Tab.u collection, stools and tables with absolutely distinctive lines. The Tab.u large stool is a traditional tall bar stool. It is perfect in any environment and for all uses: around the table for an unexpected guest, in the bathroom to rest objects or towels, in the living room when there is no more room on the sofa or in the bedroom instead of the usual bedside table. It is stunning around a counter or a kitchen island, both at home or in the most glamorous clubs. The family is complete with the addition of the Tab.u mirror and the Tab.u lamp...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

Modern side chairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Modern side chairs for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage side chairs created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include seating, tables, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Modern side chairs made in a specific country, there are Europe, North America, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original side chairs, popular names associated with this style include Emeco, Jasper Morrison, Philippe Starck, and Sir Norman Foster. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for side chairs differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $65 and tops out at $90,000 while the average work can sell for $2,120.

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