Halston Palm Beach

The International Style, a modernist movement within architecture and furniture design that was given its name by American architect Philip Johnson and historian Henry-Russell Hitchcock, was born during the 1920s and ’30s. It gained steam initially in Europe and then in the United States as a response to the first World War. Building projects associated with the movement, as well as vintage International Style chairs, tables and other furnishings, are minimal and pared back. 

Pioneers of the International Style — architect Walter Gropius and his Bauhaus colleagues Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer, De Stijl advocate and Dutch architect J.J.P. Oud and visionary designer Le Corbusier — stripped away decorative elements and placed considerable value on functionality and clean lines, integrating the use of industrial materials like steel, concrete and large sheets of glass in their work. Quite aptly, this mode of design and architectural style coincided with an era now known as the Machine Age and became a global symbol of modernism. The primary motive of its practitioners was to address the changing needs of a rapidly industrializing society, especially the demand for office complexes and apartments in large cities, through economical, technologically advanced, yet aesthetically pleasing designs for furniture and buildings. 

“Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep,” said Le Corbusier of the philosophy behind his practical modernist architecture. 

The International Style’s designers and architects were inspired by the advantages afforded them by the era’s new technology and industrial machinery as well as state-of-the-art materials. Le Corbusier was fond of framing his buildings in steel but reinforced concrete made far more economic sense. He is probably most admired for the iconic private homes and commercial buildings that he designed or codesigned with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret, which are spread across the world, from New York City to Paris to Chandigarh, India. Today, Breuer’s Wassily Lounge chair; the elegant LC series created by Le Corbusier, Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand; and Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair, crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich, are emblems of progressive modernist design and all make prominent use of tubular steel. Vintage originals are the prized cornerstone of collections.

“The International Style is probably the first fundamentally original and widely distributed style since the Gothic,” posited Johnson in the book that accompanied “Modern Architecture: International Exhibition,” an architectural show he cocurated with Hitchcock that featured the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Richard Neutra and others. While the term “International Style” had previously been circulating in Europe, when the show opened at the Museum of Modern Art in 1932, it yielded a much broader application of this important style of design. 

Find International Style furniture on 1stDibs.

Natural specimens turn things found in nature, such as rocks, crystals and timber, into art. Sometimes these specimens are hand-carved into sculptures. Other times, antique, new and vintage natural specimens themselves are best displayed in their most untouched state. These pieces range from Victorian-era objects to modern-day designs and include everything from sculptures made from animal horns to works in wood, either as sculptures or merely imposing and provocative chunks of driftwood.

Natural specimens serve as compelling decor in any collection or home. Just as any curious decorative object, such as an ancient scientific instrument or taxidermy mount, will draw attention to your carefully curated home library or mantel, natural specimens can spark interesting discussions about life and art. Whether it’s a piece of ancient pottery formed from natural clay, plants sculpted from metal, sculptures of animals or antique stone, they grant a window into all of nature’s wonders.

Natural specimen sculptures can complement many aesthetics. A rare geode makes a stunning centerpiece in a study or living room. Crystals and rock crystal spheres carved in the 1970s add a sense of etherealness and quiet beauty to any space.

Whatever your taste, the selection of antique, new and vintage natural specimens on 1stDibs includes precisely the right piece for your space.