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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Chrome
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
1980s Philippine Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather, Fabric
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Boxes
Shagreen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Coral
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Murano Glass
20th Century European Modern Decorative Boxes
Silver
1990s Japanese Modern Decorative Boxes
Silver
20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Crystal, Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Mirror, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Copper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Decorative Boxes
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone
2010s Thai Modern Decorative Boxes
Faux Leather
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Pottery
1990s French Modern Decorative Boxes
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone, Wood
2010s American Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather, Cord
20th Century Modern Decorative Boxes
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Fabric, Wood
20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood, Fur, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal, Gold Leaf, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic
2010s Australian Modern Decorative Boxes
Nickel
2010s Unknown Modern Decorative Boxes
Horn
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Suede, Wood, Lacquer
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Chrome
1940s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
20th Century German Modern Decorative Boxes
Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal, Silver Plate
2010s Australian Modern Decorative Boxes
Nickel
Early 20th Century Belgian Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble, Onyx, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Fabric, Glass, Teak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal, Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1940s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
1950s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal, Chrome