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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Seating
Foam, Fabric, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Seating
Stainless Steel, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Seating
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seating
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Seating
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Seating
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Faux Leather
2010s Danish Modern Seating
Beech
2010s Ukrainian Modern Seating
Fabric, Bouclé
2010s Belgian Modern Seating
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Seating
Iron
2010s Asian Modern Seating
Fabric, Rope, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Seating
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Seating
Bronze
2010s French Modern Seating
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Bouclé, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Seating
Suede
Early 2000s American Modern Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Velvet
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s Canadian Modern Seating
Acrylic, Oak, Walnut, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Seating
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Sheet Metal
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Seating
Sheepskin, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Fabric, Oak, Wood, Walnut
2010s Ukrainian Modern Seating
Leather, Fabric, Wool, Alpaca, Bouclé, Faux Leather, Acrylic, Wood, Ash
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Seating
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Cotton, Bamboo, Rattan
2010s American Modern Seating
Wicker, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Brass
2010s American Modern Seating
Maple, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Lithuanian Modern Seating
Leather, Birch, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Seating
Mohair, Walnut
20th Century French Modern Seating
Leather
2010s American Modern Seating
Fabric
1950s American Vintage Modern Seating
Leather, Foam, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Steel
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Seating
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Textile
Early 2000s Italian Modern Seating
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seating
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Seating
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Seating
Maple
1970s French Vintage Modern Seating
Iron
2010s Israeli Modern Seating
Acrylic, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Seating
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Brass
2010s American Modern Seating
Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Leather
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Seating
Leather
Modern seating for sale on 1stDibs.
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