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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
1940s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Coral
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Horn, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble, Onyx
Early 2000s Irish Modern Decorative Boxes
Mahogany, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood, Shagreen Stingray
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf, Metal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Decorative Boxes
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Gold Leaf
20th Century European Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Plexiglass, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
20th Century European Modern Decorative Boxes
Silver
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
2010s Australian Modern Decorative Boxes
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Agate, Stone, Metal, Silver Plate
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Malachite
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic, Wood
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Shagreen, Wood, Lacquer
20th Century British Modern Decorative Boxes
Pottery, Stoneware
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood, Macassar
2010s South African Modern Decorative Boxes
Copper, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
20th Century European Modern Decorative Boxes
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather, Wood
1980s Hungarian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Mirror, Paper
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood, Shagreen Stingray
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Murano Glass






