At the turn of the 20th century, the Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh created a singular, wholly original design style that was both lyrical and sleekly modern. Within his architectural schemes for schools, private homes and restaurants, Mackintosh — frequently working in collaboration with his wife, the artist Margaret Macdonald — invented an aesthetic that blends the organic flow of the Art Nouveau style and the honest simplicity of the English Arts & Crafts movement.
Mackintosh was born into a working-class Glasgow family, the fourth of the 11 children of a police clerk and his wife. At age 15, Mackintosh began to take night classes at the Glasgow School of Art — where he would study until 1894 — and the following year started an apprenticeship with local architect John Hutchison.
At the GSA, Mackintosh befriended Macdonald, her sister, Frances, and fellow architecture student Herbert McNair. Together they formed a graphic design team known as the Four, and were admired for their illustrations featuring sinuous botanical forms and sylph-like women. Around the same time, Mackintosh was hired by the architectural firm Honeyman and Keppie. where he drafted the company’s winning design for a new GSA building. The structure, with its brooding, asymmetrical facade punctuated by soaring studio windows, would be his architectural masterwork. By 1900, Mackintosh was designing houses and began the interiors for a group of Glasgow tea parlors in which he and Macdonald would produce some of the most alluring, lushly graphic decors of the era. Mackintosh’s work became widely influential on the continent, particularly among Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser and other members of the Vienna Secession movement.
His work on private homes and tearooms generated the furniture designs for which Mackintosh is best known today. These include the Hill House chair, with its latticed back; the Argyle Street Tea Room chair, which features an oval head rail with a cutout that resembles a bird in flight; and several others — all instantly recognizable for their stunning tall backs.
Mackintosh’s furniture works well in both traditional and modern interiors, though by virtue of both its familiarity and striking lines it tends to stand out. Because he was much more esteemed in Europe than in Britain, relatively few antique Mackintosh works survive, and those that have are museum pieces. Recently produced examples of his designs are widely available — notably, the Italian firm Cassina has been making fine Mackintosh pieces since the early 1970s. As you will see on 1stDibs, the furniture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh is ever intriguing and engaging. His work is a historical touchstone that would be welcome in the home of any modern design aficionado.
Argyle Highback Chair by Charles Rennie Mackintosh
By Cassina, Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Located in Toronto, CA
The 'Argyle' chair by Charles Rennie Mackintosh - designed in 1897 and exhibited at the Eighth Secession Exhibition in Vienna, Austria in 1900 - is one of the most iconic chairs of t...
Ash, Ebony
$5,201 / item
H 55.52 in W 16.15 in D 13.78 in
Charles Rennie Mackintosh Hill House 1 Chair For Cassina
By Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Charles Rennie Mackintosh Hill House 1 Chair For Cassina An iconic chair, a timeless design furnishing made entirely of solid wood that accurate...
Ash
$3,177 / item
H 55.52 in W 16.15 in D 13.78 in
Charles Rennie Mackintosh 292 Hill House Chair for Cassina, Italy, new
By Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Cassina
Located in Berlin, DE
Chair designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1902. Relaunched in 1973. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Prices vary dependent on color and material of the piece. Originally a fur...
Wood, Velvet
Hill House Chair by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, 1970s
By Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Located in Stockholm, SE
Hill House chair by Charles Rennie Mackintoch, designed in 1902 and reissued in the 1970s.
Wood
$4,071
H 55.12 in W 16.15 in D 13.78 in
Early Edition Hill House Chair by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Cassina Italy
By Cassina
Located in Weesp, NL
Introducing the Timeless Elegance of the 1980's Hill House Chair by Charles Rennie Mackintosh! Step back in time and embrace the exquisite craftsmanship of the early 1980's Hill Hou...
Velvet, Wood
$2,537
H 55.52 in W 16.15 in D 13.78 in
Classic Modernist Hill House Chair by Charles R. Mackintosh for Cassina, 1980s
By Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Cassina
Located in Renens, CH
The Willow chair was originally designed in 1904 by architect Charles R. Macintosh for the Villa Hill House in Helensburgh, Scotland: Production rights were acquired by Cassina durin...
Leather, Wood
$3,245
H 55.12 in W 16.15 in D 13.78 in
1980s Hill House 1 Chair by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Cassina Italy
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning and elegant Art Nouveau Hill House 1 chair. Design by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and manufactured and relaunched by Cassina Italy in 1973. Striking Scottish design from 1902....
Velvet, Ash
Hill House Chair by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, 1970s
By Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Located in Stockholm, SE
Hill House chair by Charles Rennie Mackintoch, designed in 1902 and reissued in the 1970s.
Wood
$5,215 / item
H 55.52 in W 16.15 in D 13.78 in
Charles Rennie Mackintosh 292 Hill House Chair by Cassina
By Cassina, Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Chair designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1902. Relaunched in 1973. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. This iconic chair reflects Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s style and his fearless approach to the most challenging manufacturing processes. Originally a furnishing accessory for one of Mackintosh’s major design projects, Hill House in Helensburgh, near Glasgow, Scotland, from which its name derives. The linear, geometric form is evocative of the minimal, abstract lines of Japanese graphics, which confer symbolic and figurative symbolic value to the piece’s striking visual impact. This piece is seen by many critics as not only a chair but also a veritable treatise on the way space can be articulated. The tall back is defined by a succession of vertical lines that are topped with a grid of verticals and horizontals. Thanks to the mastery of the furnitire makers of Meda, in the Brianza area north of Milan, Cassina has re-issued the Hill House chair...
Velvet, Wood
$5,215 / item
H 55.52 in W 16.15 in D 13.78 in
Charles Rennie Mackintosh 292 Hill House Chair by Cassina
By Cassina, Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Chair designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1902. Relaunched in 1973. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. This iconic chair reflects Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s style and his fearless approach to the most challenging manufacturing processes. Originally a furnishing accessory for one of Mackintosh’s major design projects, Hill House in Helensburgh, near Glasgow, Scotland, from which its name derives. The linear, geometric form is evocative of the minimal, abstract lines of Japanese graphics, which confer symbolic and figurative symbolic value to the piece’s striking visual impact. This piece is seen by many critics as not only a chair but also a veritable treatise on the way space can be articulated. The tall back is defined by a succession of vertical lines that are topped with a grid of verticals and horizontals. Thanks to the mastery of the furnitire makers of Meda, in the Brianza area north of Milan, Cassina has re-issued the Hill House chair...
Velvet, Wood
Roche Bobois Grand Hotel Dining Armchair by Pierre Dubois & Aimé Cécil
Located in Rochester, England
The Grand Hotel Dining Armchair by Roche Bobois, designed by Pierre Dubois & Aimé Cécil, epitomizes refined elegance and timeless style. Crafted with a ...
Fabric, Foam, Beech
Minotti Manet Chair by Rodolfo Dordoni
By Rodolfo Dordoni
Located in Rochester, England
The Minotti Manet Chair by Rodolfo Dordoni exudes timeless elegance, merging classic form with modern design sensibilities. Upholstered in luxurious fabric, the chair features gently...
Metal
Musa Dining Chair by Maxalto
By Maxalto
Located in Rochester, England
Introducing the Musa Dining Chair by Maxalto, a stunning addition to any luxury dining space. The boxy design features a unique shape, creating a statement look. Crafted with the hig...
Wood
Maxalto Calipso Dining Chairs by Antonio Citterio, Set of Six
By Antonio Citterio
Located in Rochester, England
Elevate your dining experience with the Calipso Dining Chairs, Set of Six by Maxalto. Crafted with the utmost attention to detail, these chairs exude luxury and sophistication. The s...
Leather, Wood
Baxter Corinne Chair by Roberto Lazzeroni, Set of Six
By Roberto Lazzeroni
Located in Rochester, England
Introducing the stunning Baxter Corinne Chair, designed by the renowned Roberto Lazzeroni. This luxurious piece exudes elegance and sophistication, making it the perfect addition to ...
Wood
Baxter Corinne Chair by Roberto Lazzeroni
By Roberto Lazzeroni
Located in Rochester, England
Introducing the stunning Baxter Corinne Chair, designed by the renowned Roberto Lazzeroni. This luxurious piece exudes elegance and sophistication, making it the perfect addition to ...
Wood
