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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 European Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Decorative Objects
Sheepskin, Wool
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1980s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1970s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s New Zealand Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1970s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1920s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Enamel, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scottish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Early 2000s American Modern Decorative Objects
Burl, Maple
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
2010s Scottish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Blown Glass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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