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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware, Pottery, Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s African Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Brass
1920s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Suede, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ultrasuede, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Polystyrene
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Oak, Rosewood
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster, Pine, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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