Robert Weiss Mirror

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.

Vintage mirrors have long been a measure of craftsmanship, from gilded Rococo frames to the sunburst shapes that became a signature of mid-century design.

Styles to Know

An arched or sunburst mirror reads more decorative, while a plain rectangular frame lets the room around it stand out. Hang one above a vintage vanity or a mid-century modern dresser, or lean a larger floor mirror against the wall as a standalone piece.

How to Choose the Right Vintage Mirror

Foxing and an aged frame usually read as character rather than damage, worth weighing against a listing's condition notes. For placement ideas, our 12 dramatic mirrors feature is a good place to start. Each piece comes from a vetted 1stDibs seller, with era and designer on record, and the 1stDibs Promise covers each purchase.