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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 South African Modern Side Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Side Chairs
Walnut, Papercord
1980s French Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Side Chairs
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1990s American Modern Side Chairs
Raffia, Wood, Lacquer
1980s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Fabric, Oak, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Side Chairs
Metal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Epoxy Resin, Acrylic, Elm, Walnut
1970s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Steel
2010s South African Modern Side Chairs
Brass
2010s American Modern Side Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Plastic
1970s French Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
2010s South African Modern Side Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs
Metal, Chrome
1950s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Wood, Ebony, Burl
2010s Canadian Modern Side Chairs
Fabric, Oak
Early 2000s American Modern Side Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Plastic
1980s Czech Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Iron
1980s English Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
2010s South African Modern Side Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Side Chairs
2010s European Modern Side Chairs
Bronze
2010s Canadian Modern Side Chairs
Leather, Maple
1950s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
20th Century French Modern Side Chairs
Shagreen, Upholstery, Rosewood
2010s Austrian Modern Side Chairs
Wire
1950s Brazilian Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Iron
Early 20th Century French Modern Side Chairs
Upholstery, Giltwood
2010s Austrian Modern Side Chairs
Resin, Foam, Fiberglass
2010s Spanish Modern Side Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Emirian Modern Side Chairs
Fiberglass, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Side Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Plastic
2010s Austrian Modern Side Chairs
Linen, Lacquer, Foam, Resin
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Beech
2010s Balkan Modern Side Chairs
Composition
2010s Spanish Modern Side Chairs
Brass, Steel
2010s Israeli Modern Side Chairs
Steel
1970s German Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
20th Century American Modern Side Chairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Side Chairs
Stainless Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Aluminum
1940s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Birch
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Wood, Cane
1950s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Naugahyde
1950s American Vintage Modern Side Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Chairs
Metal, Aluminum
2010s English Modern Side Chairs
Other
2010s Italian Modern Side Chairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Side Chairs
Leather, Fiberglass