Modern Armchairs
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Mexican Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Armchairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass, Stainless Steel
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Armchairs
Leather, Wood, Teak
2010s Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Mohair, Bouclé, Velvet, Faux Fur, Ash
2010s Mexican Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wicker, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal, Chrome
1970s Taiwanese Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Armchairs
Leather
1990s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Leather, Walnut, Upholstery
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Bouclé, Oak
1930s Czech Vintage Modern Armchairs
Metal, Chrome
1920s French Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Fabric, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Fur, Oak, Fabric, Wood
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric
2010s Turkish Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Acrylic, Alpaca, Faux Fur, Sheepskin, Ash, Fabric, Mohair, Wool, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
20th Century Modern Armchairs
Leather, Rosewood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
2010s Danish Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Teak, Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Armchairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Armchairs
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Plywood, Foam
Early 2000s Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s American Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Armchairs
Textile
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Wood, Cedar
2010s Canadian Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wool, Oak, Wood, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Trimming, Wood, Velvet, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Brass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Wool, Sheepskin, Fur, Faux Fur, Bouclé, Fabric








