Modern Seating
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Modern Seating
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Seating
Textile, Wood
2010s American Modern Seating
Glass, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Seating
Epoxy Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Seating
Lacquer
2010s Canadian Modern Seating
Leather, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seating
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Seating
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Seating
Linen, Walnut
2010s South African Modern Seating
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seating
Fabric
2010s American Modern Seating
Glass, Wood
2010s Guatemalan Modern Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Seating
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Seating
Hide, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seating
Leather
2010s Guatemalan Modern Seating
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Modern Seating
Walnut
2010s French Modern Seating
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Seating
Maple, Oak, Hardwood, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seating
Brass, Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Seating
Leather
2010s Mexican Modern Seating
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Seating
Leather, Ash
2010s Spanish Modern Seating
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Seating
Leather, Oak, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seating
Leather
2010s French Modern Seating
Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Seating
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Seating
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Seating
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Seating
Bronze
2010s American Modern Seating
Glass, Wood
2010s American Modern Seating
Glass, Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Metal
2010s Balkan Modern Seating
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Seating
Leather
2010s Turkish Modern Seating
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Seating
Beech
2010s Argentine Modern Seating
Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Seating
Leather, Wood
2010s American Modern Seating
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seating
Walnut, Ebony
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Seating
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Leather
2010s Canadian Modern Seating
Silver Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Seating
Leather, Ash
2010s Canadian Modern Seating
Fabric, Wood
Modern seating for sale on 1stDibs.
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