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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Resin
Early 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Horn, Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass, Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Multi-gemstone, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Marble
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s South American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ebony
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1950s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 2000s French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Sterling Silver
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Lucite
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine, Marble
2010s Central American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Sterling Silver
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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