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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Early 20th Century Israeli Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Silver Plate
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Glass
1950s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Agate, Brass
2010s Dominican Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
1980s North American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine, Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine, Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine, Marble
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster, Pine, Paint
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Quartz, Metal, Silver Plate
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Oak
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Oak, Rosewood
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
Early 2000s Irish Modern Decorative Objects
Mahogany, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Mid-20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Dominican Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Glass
2010s Dominican Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Glass
2010s Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Agate, Brass
2010s Dominican Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Glass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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