The International Style, a modernist movement within architecture and furniture design that was given its name by American architect Philip Johnson and historian Henry-Russell Hitchcock, was born during the 1920s and ’30s. It gained steam initially in Europe and then in the United States as a response to the first World War. Building projects associated with the movement, as well as vintage International Style chairs, tables and other furnishings, are minimal and pared back.
Pioneers of the International Style — architect Walter Gropius and his Bauhaus colleagues Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer, De Stijl advocate and Dutch architect J.J.P. Oud and visionary designer Le Corbusier — stripped away decorative elements and placed considerable value on functionality and clean lines, integrating the use of industrial materials like steel, concrete and large sheets of glass in their work. Quite aptly, this mode of design and architectural style coincided with an era now known as the Machine Age and became a global symbol of modernism. The primary motive of its practitioners was to address the changing needs of a rapidly industrializing society, especially the demand for office complexes and apartments in large cities, through economical, technologically advanced, yet aesthetically pleasing designs for furniture and buildings.
“Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep,” said Le Corbusier of the philosophy behind his practical modernist architecture.
The International Style’s designers and architects were inspired by the advantages afforded them by the era’s new technology and industrial machinery as well as state-of-the-art materials. Le Corbusier was fond of framing his buildings in steel but reinforced concrete made far more economic sense. He is probably most admired for the iconic private homes and commercial buildings that he designed or codesigned with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret, which are spread across the world, from New York City to Paris to Chandigarh, India. Today, Breuer’s Wassily Lounge chair; the elegant LC series created by Le Corbusier, Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand; and Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair, crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich, are emblems of progressive modernist design and all make prominent use of tubular steel. Vintage originals are the prized cornerstone of collections.
“The International Style is probably the first fundamentally original and widely distributed style since the Gothic,” posited Johnson in the book that accompanied “Modern Architecture: International Exhibition,” an architectural show he cocurated with Hitchcock that featured the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Richard Neutra and others. While the term “International Style” had previously been circulating in Europe, when the show opened at the Museum of Modern Art in 1932, it yielded a much broader application of this important style of design.
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Handcrafted Silver-Plated Brass Candle Holders Set by Federica Paoli
By FEDERICA PAOLI, CASPAL
Located in Milano, Lombardia
This set of 4 handcrafted silver-plated brass candle holders represents the perfect balance between sculptural form and Italian artisanal tradition. Designed by Federica Paoli and ma...
Silver Plate, Brass
Set of 2 Italian Silver-Plated Candlesticks, Handcrafted Design, in stock
By CASPAL, FEDERICA PAOLI
Located in Milano, Lombardia
This set of 2 handcrafted silver-plated brass candle holders exemplifies refined Italian artistry and sculptural design. Each piece is made by hand in Italy by Federica Paoli, showca...
Silver Plate, Brass
Set of 3 Italian Silver-Plated Candle Holders, Handcrafted Design, in stock
By CASPAL, FEDERICA PAOLI
Located in Milano, Lombardia
This set of 3 handcrafted silver-plated brass candle holders represents the perfect balance between sculptural form and Italian artisanal tradition. Designed by Federica Paoli and ma...
Silver Plate, Brass
$73Sale Price|20% Off
H 3.55 in W 10.63 in D 3.15 in
Silver-Plated Modernist Triple Candle Holder 1960s
Located in Debrecen, HU
This modernist triple candle holder was likely produced in the 1960s during the height of Mid-Century Modern design. The piece features a distinctive geometric base with an angular, ...
Silver Plate
$1,794 / item
H 23 in W 8 in D 8 in
Candlesticks Plate II in White Marble Handcrafted in India By Paul Mathieu
By Stephanie Odegard Collection
Located in New York, NY
Paul Mathieu designed these elegant candlesticks for Stephanie Odegard Co. Ltd. Solid pieces of marble are turned to create these delicate designs namely Ove, Flute, Plat I and Plat ...
Marble
Sculptural Handcrafted Sand Cast Bronze Candlesticks 'Set of 3'
By DBO Home
Located in Sharon, CT
These elegant and sexy candlesticks were sculpted in wax then sand cast in solid bronze. They taper like a Manolo stiletto but finished with a rustic patina that brings them down to ...
Bronze
Brass silvered jugendstil candle holder for 3 candles vienna around 1908
Located in Wien, Au
Brass silvered jugendstil candle holder for 3 candles vienna around 1908 Original condition
Brass
Regency design sterling silver pair of candlesticks made in 1821
By S. C. Younge & Co.
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in Sheffield in 1821 by S. C. Younge & Co., this stunning pair of George III, Antique Sterling Silver Candlesticks, are richly decorated in the Regency taste, and feat...
Sterling Silver
Berg Danish Mid-Century Silver Plated Candle Holder Centrepiece
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A stylish Danish mid-century silver-plated Candle holder centrepiece for four candles by Berg and dating from around 1960. The candle stick stands on a diamond formed central base wi...
Silver Plate
$203Sale Price|20% Off
H 7.88 in W 1.97 in D 3.75 in
A pair of Silver Plated Godinger Baroque Style Candle holders
Located in Bishop's Stortford, GB
A pair of Silver Plated Godinger Baroque Style Candle holders. Crafted with precision, these candlesticks not only serve as functional pieces for illuminating your space but also as ...
Silver Plate
Set of 4 Gold Plated Kubus T Candle Holders by Lassen
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 4 gold plated Kubus T candle holders by Lassen Dimensions: d 7 x w 7 x h 7 cm Materials: Metal Also available in different dimensions and colors. Weight: 0.40 Kg The...
Metal
Silver Plate Single 3 Light Candelabra Candle Holder
Located in Clifton Forge, VA
So elegant!! How fun and romantic would your next fancy dinner be when it's lit with three flickering candles? I would call this rustic quality not the fineness that would be expecte...
Silver Plate
Set of Four Travertine Candle Holder, Italy, 1970s
Located in Rome, IT
Set of four candle holders in travertine marble in the shape of ancient walls made in Italy in the 1970s. The four pieces lay on squared bases of 6 x 6 cm but come in decreasing h...
Travertine, Marble
Pair of Silver-Plated Ram's Horn Form Candlesticks, Italy, 1970s
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A striking pair of silver-plated candlesticks, each cast in the sculptural form of a curling ram's horn, complete with deeply carved ridged texture that faithfully mimics the natural...
Metal, Silver Plate
1970's William Adams Silver Plate Tulip Shape Candle Holders, Italy
Located in Bedford Hills, NY
Elevate your tables-cape with this elegant set of four graduated silver-plated candlesticks from William Adams. Featuring a sleek, minimalist silhouette, these candlesticks embody th...
Metal, Silver Plate
$1,109 / item
H 23 in W 6 in D 6 in
Candlesticks Plate i in White Marble Handcrafted in India By Paul Mathieu
By Stephanie Odegard Collection
Located in New York, NY
Paul Mathieu designed these elegant candlesticks for Stephanie Odegard Co. Ltd. Solid pieces of marble are turned to create these delicate designs namely Ove, Flute, Plat I and Plat ...
Marble
$120Sale Price|20% Off
H 5.5 in Dm 4.75 in
Sculptural Silver Plated Coiled Candle Holder by Bertil Vallien for Dansk
By Bertil Vallien, Dansk
Located in San Diego, CA
Nice sculptural silver plated coiled candleholder by Bertil Vallien for Dansk, circa 1970s. The piece has a capacity for 12 long taper candles with a diameter of 1/4". Good vintage c...
Silver Plate
Pair of Antique Silver Plated Corinthian Candlesticks
Located in Suffolk, GB
Pair of antique silver plated Corinthian candlesticks having pretty shaped removable sconces to the top and supported by attractive circular re...
Silver Plate
Brass Seven Branch Table Candelabrum, Possibly Silesia, 19th Century
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
Seven - branched table Brass candelabrum. Possibly Silesia, 19th century. (Poland/Czech Republic). A large patinated brass candelabrum in 17th century style with seven scro...
Brass