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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 European Modern Stools
Wool, Angora
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Metal
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Cotton, Faux Fur, Acrylic, Wood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Wood, Wool, Bouclé, Oak
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Ash
1980s American Vintage Modern Stools
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
2010s Belgian Modern Stools
Oak
1920s Dutch Vintage Modern Stools
Belgian Black Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Stools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Marble, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Stools
Leather
2010s European Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass, Metal
1990s American Modern Stools
Nickel
2010s North Korean Modern Stools
Natural Fiber, Plastic, Acrylic, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Fabric, Upholstery, Lacquer
2010s Austrian Modern Stools
Concrete, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Steel, Chrome, Wire
2010s Dutch Modern Stools
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Wood, Cedar
2010s German Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Velvet, Rattan, Wood
Early 2000s American Modern Stools
Walnut
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Textile, Foam, Plywood
2010s Argentine Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
2010s British Modern Stools
Aluminum
2010s Polish Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Velvet
2010s Austrian Modern Stools
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Wood, Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Stools
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Fiberglass
Early 2000s Danish Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Velvet, Rattan, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Stools
Wood
2010s North American Modern Stools
Metal, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Plastic
2010s North American Modern Stools
Metal, Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Stools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Stools
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Wood, Cedar
2010s North American Modern Stools
Metal, Nickel, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Fabric, Velvet, Faux Leather, Wood
1950s French Vintage Modern Stools
Mahogany