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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Swiss Modern Seating
Leather, Beech
2010s South African Modern Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Seating
Leather
2010s American Modern Seating
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Seating
Fabric, Foam
Late 20th Century American Modern Seating
Leather, Foam, Wood
2010s Balinese Modern Seating
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Leather, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seating
Upholstery
2010s Spanish Modern Seating
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Fabric, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Seating
Velvet, Foam, Wood, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Seating
Wood, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Seating
Fabric, Oak
2010s French Modern Seating
Fabric, Foam, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Concrete
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Seating
Leather
Late 20th Century Norwegian Modern Seating
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
Late 20th Century American Modern Seating
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Seating
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Seating
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Leather
Early 2000s Italian Modern Seating
Metal
2010s Moroccan Modern Seating
Fabric
2010s Ukrainian Modern Seating
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s Swiss Modern Seating
Leather
2010s South African Modern Seating
Leather, Foam
Early 2000s American Modern Seating
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Leather
2010s Ukrainian Modern Seating
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Seating
Upholstery, Beech
2010s Ukrainian Modern Seating
Fabric, Wool, Sheepskin, Bouclé, Jacquard, Velvet, Faux Fur
2010s Moroccan Modern Seating
Fabric
1990s Modern Seating
Cotton
2010s American Modern Seating
Walnut
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
Early 2000s Italian Modern Seating
Metal
2010s American Modern Seating
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Seating
Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Seating
Bouclé
2010s Ukrainian Modern Seating
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Cotton, Jacquard, Linen, Velvet, Faux Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Foam, Wood, Plywood
2010s Swiss Modern Seating
Leather, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Seating
Wood, Bouclé, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Seating
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Seating
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Fabric, Velvet
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Seating
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Seating
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Seating
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s Moroccan Modern Seating
Metal
2010s Ukrainian Modern Seating
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Sheepskin, Cotton, Faux Fur
2010s Chinese Modern Seating
Brass, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Seating
Leather, Fabric
2010s Ukrainian Modern Seating
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Seating
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Seating
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Metal
2010s American Modern Seating
Maple, Silk
2010s American Modern Seating
Maple, Velvet
2010s American Modern Seating
Bouclé, Maple
2010s Portuguese Modern Seating
Oak
Early 2000s Czech Modern Seating
Bentwood
Modern seating for sale on 1stDibs.
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