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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Turkish Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery, Wood, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather
2010s Asian Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Rope
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Velvet, Wood
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric
2010s South African Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
2010s Philippine Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Stainless Steel
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal, Aluminum
1990s French Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
2010s Asian Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Swivel Chairs
Velvet
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric
1990s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric
2010s Philippine Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Philippine Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Bronze
2010s Philippine Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Swivel Chairs
Wood, Fabric
1980s American Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather, Fabric
2010s Turkish Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Brass
2010s Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Wood, Fabric
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Chrome
2010s Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Stainless Steel
1960s French Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
2010s European Modern Swivel Chairs
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Straw, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Swivel Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
1990s Swiss Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather, Plastic
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Rosewood, Paper
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Maple
1970s American Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Swivel Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Turkish Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 2000s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Swivel Chairs
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery, Hardwood