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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Swiss Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
2010s Philippine Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Brocade
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum, Chrome
2010s Canadian Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 2000s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum
1990s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric
20th Century English Modern Swivel Chairs
Chrome
2010s Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Foam, Wood, Ash
1970s German Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Suede
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Maple
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Ash, Upholstery
2010s South African Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
2010s Philippine Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
1970s American Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Chrome
20th Century North American Modern Swivel Chairs
Brass
1960s French Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
2010s South African Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Rosewood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
1920s Italian Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Sheepskin, Wood
2010s Philippine Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Swivel Chairs
Chrome
20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Foam, Wood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
Early 2000s Danish Modern Swivel Chairs
Iron
2010s North American Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Velvet
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
2010s British Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
1980s French Vintage Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum
2010s Portuguese Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Foam, Wood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum