Modern Side 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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Danish Modern Side Chairs
Papercord, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Side Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs
Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Side Chairs
Sheepskin, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Side Chairs
Bouclé, Ash
2010s Portuguese Modern Side Chairs
Velvet, Wood
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Oak, Papercord
Late 20th Century Modern Side Chairs
Faux Leather, Lucite
2010s Italian Modern Side Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s South African Modern Side Chairs
Brass
2010s American Modern Side Chairs
Steel
2010s American Modern Side Chairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Leather, Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Side Chairs
Metal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Plastic
1970s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Enamel, Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Side Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s South African Modern Side Chairs
Brass
1960s German Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Side Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Danish Modern Side Chairs
Beech, Papercord
Early 20th Century French Modern Side Chairs
Brass
2010s Canadian Modern Side Chairs
Velvet, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Side Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Side Chairs
Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Chrome, Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Side Chairs
Leather
1950s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
20th Century American Modern Side Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Side Chairs
Bronze
2010s Danish Modern Side Chairs
Wood, Papercord, Oak
2010s Danish Modern Side Chairs
Fabric, Down, Oak
2010s American Modern Side Chairs
Steel, Chrome
1960s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
2010s Danish Modern Side Chairs
Cord, Paper, Beech, Wood
2010s French Modern Side Chairs
Oak, Leather, Linen
2010s American Modern Side Chairs
Oak
2010s American Modern Side Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Side Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Cedar
1980s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Side Chairs
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Side Chairs
Brass, Metal
20th Century Unknown Modern Side Chairs
Fabric
2010s American Modern Side Chairs
Mahogany
1950s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Wood, Fabric
1980s French Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Side Chairs
Velvet, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Straw, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Lacquer, Paint, Foam, Maple
1990s Indian Modern Side Chairs
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Side Chairs
Leather, Wood, Ash
1970s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Chrome
20th Century French Modern Side Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Iron
2010s American Modern Side Chairs
Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Side Chairs
Paper