Modern Stools
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Wood, Mohair
1950s French Vintage Modern Stools
Concrete
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Stools
Beech
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
1950s American Vintage Modern Stools
Aluminum
1970s American Vintage Modern Stools
Fabric, Fiberglass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
Mid-20th Century Modern Stools
Mahogany
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Stools
Leather, Teak
20th Century French Modern Stools
Elm
Late 20th Century French Modern Stools
Bronze
1960s Indian Vintage Modern Stools
Teak
1990s Italian Modern Stools
Iron
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Velvet, Rosewood
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Stools
Pine
Mid-20th Century French Modern Stools
Elm
1970s American Vintage Modern Stools
Chrome
20th Century French Modern Stools
Wrought Iron, Metal
20th Century French Modern Stools
Oak, Rush
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood
20th Century French Modern Stools
Pine
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Velvet, Wood
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Stools
Pine
1980s American Vintage Modern Stools
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Stools
Leather, Oak
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Bouclé, Wood
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Wood, Fabric
1990s American Modern Stools
Textile, Wood
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Stools
Oak
Mid-20th Century English Modern Stools
Leather
1990s American Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood
1950s American Vintage Modern Stools
Leather, Oak
1970s Vintage Modern Stools
Fabric, Hardwood
1990s Vietnamese Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
20th Century Modern Stools
Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Modern Stools
Wood
20th Century Modern Stools
Bentwood
20th Century French Modern Stools
Pine
1980s American Vintage Modern Stools
Chrome
20th Century French Modern Stools
Cowhide, Wood
1930s French Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
1940s French Vintage Modern Stools
Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Stools
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Aluminum
Late 20th Century French Modern Stools
Metal
1970s French Vintage Modern Stools
Concrete
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Iron
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
1970s Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Stools
Metal
20th Century North American Modern Stools
Chrome
1960s American Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
1960s American Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Stools
Aluminum
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Upholstery, Oak
1980s Vintage Modern Stools
Wood