Modern Decorative Boxes
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Burl
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
Late 20th Century English Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Marble
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Boxes
Chestnut
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood, Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1990s Japanese Modern Decorative Boxes
Silver
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Crystal, Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Shell
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Shagreen, Wood, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone, Felt
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
1980s North American Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Coral
20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Enamel, Ormolu
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Lapis Lazuli, Marble
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold, Gold Plate
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone, Wood
1970s Philippine Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Travertine, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic