Nymphenburg Parrot

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.

Vintage, new and antique garden ornaments and classical statues can help elevate your outdoor space. The right decorative touch can accentuate the areas you’ve set aside for outdoor meals and garden parties as well as create a welcome, relaxing environment for guests and family.

In ancient civilizations, garden ornaments and statues were symbolic of religious devotion, conveyed wealth and social class, and eventually were used primarily as decoration. Today, the addition of antique garden ornaments can still elevate garden decor and help personalize an outdoor entertaining area. Finding the right decorative elements and deciding where to integrate them can greatly enhance the visual impact of your home’s exterior and transform your landscape design.

Over time, artists have used ceramic, iron, stone and metal to cast garden ornaments such as porcelain urns, cast-iron lanterns, stone obelisks and marble seating. Positioning antique and vintage garden ornaments amid meticulously manicured greenery can help render more prominent the beauty of the outdoor space you’ve tended over the years. We promise that your brightly colored flowers and other plants will pop against the antique building and garden elements you’ve introduced to your outdoor space.

Nestling a garden bench or other garden furniture near statues or an antique fountain proves welcoming to guests, offering a place to appreciate the work you’ve done on your outdoor space or to enjoy a cocktail in the open air. A large statue in the corner of the garden can draw attention to an area that might otherwise go overlooked, while a grouping of smaller statues can create a similar effect in a less-traveled corner of the yard.

Exterior design matters. Express your individuality and emphasize the natural beauty of an outdoor space with a collection of antique and vintage garden ornaments on 1stDibs that includes modern garden ornaments, Art Deco fixtures, Victorian ornaments and more.