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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Asian Modern Seating
Fabric, Rope, Teak
1980s American Vintage Modern Seating
Fabric, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Leather, Fabric, Faux Leather
1930s French Vintage Modern Seating
Mahogany
2010s Swiss Modern Seating
Leather, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Fabric
2010s South African Modern Seating
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Wood, Fabric, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Seating
Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Seating
Fabric
1990s French Modern Seating
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s American Modern Seating
Bouclé, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Seating
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Leather, Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Seating
Stainless Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Velvet, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Seating
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Metal
2010s American Modern Seating
Leather, Ziricote
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Wood, Cedar
2010s Portuguese Modern Seating
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Seating
Fabric, Plywood
2010s Chinese Modern Seating
Fiberglass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Seating
Metal
Early 2000s French Modern Seating
Crystal, Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Seating
Ceramic, Earthenware, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Seating
Oak
2010s French Modern Seating
Foam, Fabric
2010s Brazilian Modern Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Plastic
2010s American Modern Seating
Agate
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Seating
Wood, Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Seating
Silk, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
1990s Italian Modern Seating
Velvet
1920s French Vintage Modern Seating
Fabric, Wood
2010s Modern Seating
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seating
Polyester, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Seating
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Seating
Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s South African Modern Seating
Brass, Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Seating
Wood, Upholstery
2010s Modern Seating
Leather
Early 2000s American Modern Seating
Wood, Linen
2010s American Modern Seating
Cherry
2010s American Modern Seating
Steel
2010s South African Modern Seating
Ceramic, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Seating
Bouclé
2010s American Modern Seating
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Seating
Ash
1990s American Modern Seating
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Seating
Steel
Modern seating for sale on 1stDibs.
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