The design of brutalist furniture encompasses that which is crafted, hewn and worked by hand — an aesthetic rebuke (or, at least, a counterpoint) to furniture that is created using 21st-century materials and technology. Lately, the word “brutalist” has been adopted by the realms of furniture design and the decorative arts to refer to chairs, cabinets, tables and accessory pieces such as mirror frames and lighting that are made of rougher, deeply textured metals and other materials that are the visual and palpable antithesis of the sleek, smooth and suave.
ORIGINS OF BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGN
BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
VINTAGE BRUTALIST FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The term brutalism — which derives from the French word brut, meaning “raw” — was coined by architecture critic Reyner Banham to describe an architectural style that emerged in the 1950s featuring monumental buildings, usually made of unornamented concrete, whose design was meant to project an air of strength and solidity.
Le Corbusier essentially created the brutalist style; its best-known iterations in the United States are the Whitney Museum of American Art, which was designed by Marcel Breuer, and Paul Rudolph's Yale Art and Architecture Building. The severe style might have been the most criticized architectural movement of the 20th century, even if it was an honest attempt to celebrate the beauty of raw material. But while the brutalist government buildings in Washington, D.C., seemingly bask in their un-beauty, brutalist interior design and decor is much more lyrical, at times taking on a whimsical, romantic quality that its exterior counterparts lack.
Paul Evans is Exhibit A for brutalist furniture design. His Sculpture Front cabinets laced with high-relief patinated steel mounts have become collector's items nonpareil, while the chairs, coffee table and dining table in his later Cityscape series and Sculpted Bronze series for Directional Furniture are perhaps the most expressive, attention-grabbing pieces in American modern design. Other exemplary brutalist designers are Silas Seandel, the idiosyncratic New York furniture designer and sculptor whose works in metal — in particular his tables — have a kind of brawny lyricism, and Curtis Jere, a nom-de-trade for the California team of Curtis Freiler and Jerry Fels, the bold makers of expressive scorched and sheared copper and brass mirror frames and wall-mounted sculptures.
Brutalist furniture and sculptures remain popular with interior designers and can lend unique, eccentric, human notes to an art and design collection in any home.
Find authentic vintage brutalist chairs, coffee tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Set Three-Legged Wooden Stools in Ash in the Style of Charlotte Perriand, 1970s
Located in Hellouw, NL
Balance and clarity characterise this refined pair of wooden stools, echoing the design language of Charlotte Perriand. Their straightforward yet thoughtful construction pays tribute...
Ash
$5,668Sale Price / item|20% Off
Eero Bench by Porus Studio Gun Metal Steel Bouclé Design Handmade in Portugal
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
The Gateway Arch, also known as Gateway to the Midwest or even St. Louis Arch, is an American monument designed by the architect Eero Saarinen. That majes...
Steel
$3,075 / set
Charles Duduoyt Style Brutalist Stools
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Pair of Brutalist walnut stools with turned legs t-stretcher and incised seat design, in the style of Charles Duduoyt, France circa 1950's.
Wood, Walnut
$3,263Sale Price / set|20% Off
Two postmodern Highback chairs 'Bossche School', 1960's.
Located in CASTENRAY, NL
Set of restored 'Bossche School (1946-1973)' chairs. That came from the contents of a Monastery in Brabant, The Netherlands. Probably Alter chairs. The '...
Steel
Vintage Boho Primitive Bench
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Evoke a sense of rugged artistry and singular character with this extraordinary vintage primitive bench. Its most striking feature is the robust, repurposed barrel-like element formi...
Wood
$1,118Sale Price / item|20% Off
Contemporary Live Edge Style Bench in Solid Oak
Located in Burlăceni, Cahul District
Contemporary Live Edge Style Bench in Solid Oak Transform your space with the natural beauty and modern design of our Contemporary Live Edge Style Bench in Solid Oak. This stunning ...
Oak
$839Sale Price|20% Off
Hand-Crafted Rustic Hardwood Stool or Lamp Base, Wabi-Sabi Style, Italy, 1870
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
M/1322 - This rustic wooden stool is maybe an Italian farmer stool with a burn mark: perhaps a forgotten candle still burning. The hard wood prevented the...
Hardwood
$815Sale Price / set|41% Off
6 Beech Wood Dining Chairs, 1940s
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Solid and massive chairs in a brutal eclectic style, beechwood, floral tapestry fabric.
Beech
Folk Art Monoxylite Tripod Hearth Chair, France, 19th Century
Located in Antwerp, BE
Folk art tripod hearth chair, a captivating piece from 19th-century Auvergne, France. This unique chair seamlessly combines the functions of a side chair and a focal point near the f...
Wood
Pair of wooden brutalist chairs resting on a tripod pedestal CIRCA 1950/1960
Located in Mouscron, WHT
Pair of wooden brutalist chairs resting on a tripod base, the backrest updated. circa 1950/1960
Beech
Armchair and Footrest by Luciano Frigerio, Set of 2
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Armchair H80Xl113X85P pouff H41XL41XP93
Suede, Wood
$1,466 / set
Pair Of 1960s Spanish Brutalist Stools
Located in London, GB
Pair of 1960s Spanish Brutalist stools. Superb hand-carved pine chairs with goat skin seats and backs. In excellent and solid condition with ...
Goatskin, Pine
Chaise de souche brutaliste
Located in Paris, FR
A stump chair is a term given to a variety of different chairs that are formed from tree stumps
Wood
$1,800 / item
1960’s Brutalist Dutch Oak Chair, 6 Chairs Available
Located in Chicago, IL
Midcentury Brutalist Dutch Oak tall back dining chair. Six chairs available.
Wood
$3,616Sale Price / item|20% Off
21st Ohio Dining Chair Nubuck Brass Handmade in Portugal by Porus Studio
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
The Ohio River's beauty lies in its scenic views adorned with rolling hills, verdant landscapes, and charming river towns. Its tranquil waters have long been a source of inspiration,...
Brass
Pair of Brutalist Easy Chairs, 1960s
Located in Brussel, BE
Pair of interesting and comfy two brutalist easy chairs.
Wood
$3,364Sale Price / item|20% Off
21st Century Metallic Austin Bar Chair Polished Gun Metal Steel Leather by Porus
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
Home for various music and film festival festivals, the Sixth Street in Austin is transformed into a pedestrian-only road on weekends. Recently, a movemen...
Steel
$2,074 / set
Two large 1980s solid wood and leather armchairs
Located in Premariacco, IT
Pair of large early 1980s Italian-made solid armchairs with all-wood frame and vintage leather cushions. Armchairs are suitable for taverns, clubs or large living rooms where thanks...
Leather, Wood
“Big Iron” Dining Chair, Iron, James Vincent Milano, Italy, 2023
Located in Milano, IT
“Big Iron” Dining Chair, Iron, JAMES VINCENT MILANO, Italy, 2023 Dining chair. Floating seat. Polished and brushed iron. Engraved logo plaque in chrome satinated brass. Handcrafted...
Iron
$11,660 / set
Pair of Italian Brutalist Armchairs, Italy 1970s
Located in Utrecht, NL
The mid-to-late 20th century marked a golden era for Italian interior design. Amidst a booming economy and a newfound sense of optimism, Italian designers began to explore and experi...
Fabric, Wood
$10,495 / set
A Pair of Brutalist Oak Armchairs, Spain 1960s
Located in Utrecht, NL
The 1960s witnessed the rise of Brutalism, a style characterised by its unpretentious aesthetic and robust construction. While it is often associated with large concrete structures, ...
Bouclé, Oak
Black Maple Leaf Chair, Contemporary Armchair
Located in Santa Edwiges, MG
Black maple leaf chair to boconcept Ottawa chair (karim rashid by Estúdio Iludi) Unique piece Invited by BoConcept, Estúdio Iludi receives the mission of reimagining the Ottawa chair, from the homonymous collection by the prestigious designer Karim Rashid. In order to accomplish this task, Estúdio Iludi faces the double challenge of highlighting the Egyptian designer’s visionary esthesia and stamping its own mark on an international hit. The Ottawa chair, which in its original conception presents a leaf-shaped seat, structured on four open legs after the fashion of a tree root, is lifted off the ground in the Iludi rereading. Thus, placed on a framework that is suspended from the ceiling by a rope and a hook, the chair is made into a swing. Movement, the watchword of the creations by Estúdio Iludi, becomes a perfect way to potentiate Karin Rashid...
Steel