Modern Swivel Chairs
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé
1990s Italian Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Brocade
2010s Italian Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Sheepskin
20th Century French Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Iron
20th Century North American Modern Swivel Chairs
Brass
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Hardwood, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal, Aluminum
1990s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric
20th Century English Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather
1980s American Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal, Chrome
Early 2000s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
1960s Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Faux Leather, Acrylic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Chrome
1990s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
1960s American Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery, Lucite
20th Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Chenille, Upholstery
Late 20th Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather
1990s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric
20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather, Upholstery
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum
1960s American Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal, Enamel
20th Century English Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather, Fabric
1970s American Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather