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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
2010s South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal
2010s Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
1990s Maltese Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Luster
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Resin
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
Early 2000s American Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Murrine
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
1930s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s North American Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum, Steel
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Masonite, Paint
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1960s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s English Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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