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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Stools
Lambskin, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Danish Modern Stools
Copper
2010s American Modern Stools
Glass, Wood
20th Century Modern Stools
Oak
1980s Vintage Modern Stools
Faux Leather, Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Wood, Chenille, Cotton
2010s Canadian Modern Stools
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Lacquer, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Gold Leaf
2010s Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Cedar
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Stools
Chrome
2010s South African Modern Stools
Bouclé, Feathers
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Ash
2010s Asian Modern Stools
Aluminum
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Leather, Wood, Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Stools
Textile, Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Stools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Wood
2010s Czech Modern Stools
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
2010s North American Modern Stools
Steel, Metal
2010s North American Modern Stools
Lambskin, Leather, Fabric, Ash, Oak
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
2010s American Modern Stools
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modern Stools
Plywood
2010s Argentine Modern Stools
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Stools
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Ash
2010s American Modern Stools
Brass, Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Stools
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Stools
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Velvet, Wood
2010s Modern Stools
Lacquer
2010s Asian Modern Stools
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass, Stainless Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Stools
Concrete
2010s Philippine Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Plastic
2010s British Modern Stools
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Stools
Ceramic, Terracotta, Clay
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Stools
Upholstery, Hardwood, Fabric
2010s Argentine Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Stools
Hardwood, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century American Modern Stools
Aluminum
2010s Brazilian Modern Stools
Textile, Upholstery, Hardwood