Modern Animal Skin Footstools
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Brass, Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Brass, Steel
Vintage 1950s British Modern Footstools
Leather
2010s North American Modern Footstools
Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Suede, Wood
2010s Balkan Modern Footstools
Leather, Wood, Ash, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Stools
Leather, Maple
Mid-20th Century English Modern Footstools
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Footstools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Footstools
Leather
2010s French Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Iron
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Hardwood, Fiberglass, Upholstery, Textile
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Hardwood, Fiberglass, Upholstery, Textile
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Aluminum
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Hardwood, Fiberglass, Upholstery, Textile
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Hardwood, Fiberglass, Upholstery, Textile
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Armchairs
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Brass, Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Steel, Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Steel, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Suede, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
Vintage 1940s French Modern Footstools
Leather, Upholstery, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Birch, Polyester, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Birch, Polyester, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Birch, Polyester, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Fur, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
2010s American Modern Footstools
Fur
2010s Italian Modern Footstools
Gold Plate, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Birch, Polyester, Foam
2010s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Steel
Vintage 1980s Swiss Modern Footstools
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Steel, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Brass
2010s Modern Footstools
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Hardwood, Fiberglass, Upholstery, Textile
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Brass, Steel
Vintage 1970s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Footstools
Leather
2010s Spanish Modern Footstools
Steel, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Norwegian Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Footstools
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Footstools
Leather
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Modern Animal Skin Footstools For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Modern Animal Skin Footstools?
A Close Look at Modern Furniture
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.
Finding the Right Footstools for You
Antique and vintage footstools might add a dose of fun to your living room, but they’re also hard workers.
Even as they’ve morphed into objects with plenty of functions over time, the footstool has a royal past. In Ancient Egypt, a footstool was used to climb onto an elevated chair or placed under someone’s feet as he or she was seated in a temple or private residence. Footstools were also in use during the Ottoman Empire. In fact, the ottoman, an upholstered seat or small bench that initially had no back or arms, was the main seating furniture in a home. Ottomans were a way to merge floor seating with cushions and mats.
Poufs, which originated in France, are also thought of as convenient seating furniture as well as occasionally serving as a side table, if needed. (Although, a pouf is typically not as firm as an ottoman.)
Over the years, footstools have taken on varying purposes. They have been used as small portable chairs, for example.
During the 18th century, a footstool might have been long with a low profile, which rendered it perfect for fireside seating. Victorian footstools were small but not unassuming, as furniture makers of the era would upholster the pieces so that they paired with the nearby sofa or wingback chairs. Footstools have even become a storage solution at home, with designers outfitting them with compartments. Today, a footstool might be used to organize quilts and blankets or other textiles, especially if you’re trying to keep things uncluttered in a small apartment.
Footstools are now available in all sorts of provocative colors, upholstery and more. No one is going to put a velvet footstool out on the curb, right? When shopping for your own footstool, try to find one that meets the height of your sofa or other seating (or is a tad lower). It should also be sturdy but not a heavy, clunky piece that’s a chore to move around.
The footstool is both decorative and functional. Not unlike a good throw pillow, interior designers have found numerous uses for this versatile, vibrant furnishing. Find yours in the growing collection of antique and vintage footstools today on 1stDibs.
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Desert Modern Designer Arthur Elrod Finally Gets His Day in the Sun
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