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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Swedish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
1930s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
Late 19th Century European Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Glass
2010s Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
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
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Majolica
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Siena Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s British Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut, Fiberglass, Polystyrene
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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