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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Seating
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Seating
Oak, Bouclé
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Marble
2010s American Modern Seating
Wool, Felt
1920s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Plastic
1980s American Vintage Modern Seating
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Seating
Leather, Resin, Foam, Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Seating
Fabric
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
2010s American Modern Seating
Chenille, Cotton
1960s Dutch Vintage Modern Seating
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Seating
Fabric, Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Seating
Steel, Chrome
2010s American Modern Seating
Steel
2010s American Modern Seating
Wool, Felt
2010s American Modern Seating
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Seating
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Seating
Leather, Ash
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Leather, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Fabric, Plastic
2010s South African Modern Seating
Velvet, Feathers
Mid-20th Century Modern Seating
Leather, Wenge
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Seating
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Plastic
1990s American Modern Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
2010s Turkish Modern Seating
Lacquer, Wood
Early 20th Century North American Modern Seating
Wood
2010s Danish Modern Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Seating
Antler, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Seating
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Leather, Fabric, Wood, Fir
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Textile
2010s Spanish Modern Seating
Fabric, Foam, Polystyrene
2010s American Modern Seating
Down, Feathers
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Fabric, Velvet
2010s Asian Modern Seating
Fabric, Rattan, Rope, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Leather, Fabric, Velvet
2010s American Modern Seating
Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Seating
Brass
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Seating
Leather, Resin, Foam, Wood
2010s Finnish Modern Seating
Fiberglass
2010s Portuguese Modern Seating
Fabric, Wood, Leather, Rattan
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Seating
Oak
1980s American Vintage Modern Seating
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Seating
Metal
2010s American Modern Seating
Hardwood
Modern seating for sale on 1stDibs.
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