Modern Decorative Objects
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Greek Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
20th Century Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
2010s Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
1990s British Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Steel
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
20th Century Israeli Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Glass
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
1950s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Horn, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Macassar
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Wool
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Sterling Silver
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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