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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
1960s German Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass, Iron
2010s South African Modern Stools
Velvet, Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Cut Steel
2010s Belgian Modern Stools
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Stools
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Stools
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel, Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Stools
Travertine
2010s French Modern Stools
Ceramic, Terracotta
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Concrete
2010s French Modern Stools
Fabric, Ash
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Stools
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Stools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Stools
Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Stainless Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Ceramic, Earthenware, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Scagliola, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood
2010s French Modern Stools
Antler, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Stools
Fabric, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Stools
Wood
Early 2000s Italian Modern Stools
Chrome
2010s American Modern Stools
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Wood, Birch, Plywood
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Metal
1990s Modern Stools
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Marble
2010s American Modern Stools
Wool, Felt
2010s American Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Chestnut, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
1930s British Vintage Modern Stools
Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Velvet, Wood
2010s Australian Modern Stools
Brass, Steel
1990s Belgian Modern Stools
Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Stools
Aluminum, Brass
2010s Belgian Modern Stools
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Stools
Velvet
2010s Chinese Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Aluminum, Steel, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Upholstery
2010s Belgian Modern Stools
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Leather
2010s American Modern Stools
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Stools
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Ash
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Lacquer, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Cedar
2010s American Modern Stools
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s American Modern Stools
Steel, Chrome
2010s American Modern Stools
Lambskin, Oak
2010s French Modern Stools
Antler, Plywood
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Stools
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Marble
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Ash