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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Aluminum
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
Blown Glass
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
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
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 Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1960s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1960s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate, Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Marble
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 1900s Italian Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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