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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 English Modern Stools
Walnut
2010s American Modern Stools
Mahogany
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Oak
2010s Canadian Modern Stools
Brass
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Maple
2010s Brazilian Modern Stools
Faux Leather, Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Stools
Walnut, Cane
2010s Canadian Modern Stools
Carrara Marble, Marble, Stone, Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Stools
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Stools
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Stools
Mohair, Walnut
2010s American Modern Stools
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Chestnut
2010s Canadian Modern Stools
Cedar
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Stools
Oak
2010s American Modern Stools
Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Wood
2010s Canadian Modern Stools
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Stools
Bouclé
2010s American Modern Stools
Cedar
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Stools
Concrete
2010s American Modern Stools
Steel, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood, Velvet
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Maple
2010s American Modern Stools
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Walnut
2010s Modern Stools
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Stools
Epoxy Resin
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Aluminum
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Velvet
2010s Mexican Modern Stools
Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Metal
2010s American Modern Stools
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Wood, Oak, Chenille, Bouclé, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Stools
Textile
2010s Brazilian Modern Stools
Fabric, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass, Stainless Steel
1960s French Vintage Modern Stools
Cord, Ash
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Maple
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Stools
Oak
2010s British Modern Stools
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Stools
Cut Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Velvet
2010s American Modern Stools
Leather, Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Stools
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Chestnut, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Argentine Modern Stools
Wood
1950s French Vintage Modern Stools
Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Steel, Chrome
2010s American Modern Stools
Cedar
1950s French Vintage Modern Stools
Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Leather
2010s American Modern Stools
Steel, Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Stools
Metal, Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Wool, Felt
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Velvet, Wood, Rattan
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Lacquer, Wood
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modern Stools
Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Chrome