Modern Desk Accessories
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Brazilian Modern Desk Accessories
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Desk Accessories
Leather
2010s North Korean Modern Desk Accessories
Shell, Eggshell
2010s North Korean Modern Desk Accessories
Shell
2010s North Korean Modern Desk Accessories
Shell, Eggshell
2010s North Korean Modern Desk Accessories
Shell
2010s North Korean Modern Desk Accessories
Shell
2010s North Korean Modern Desk Accessories
Shell
Early 2000s German Modern Desk Accessories
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Gold, Enamel, Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Desk Accessories
Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Desk Accessories
Ceramic, Stoneware, Terracotta
1980s European Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
2010s Australian Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
1960s French Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Silver
1980s Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Desk Accessories
Chrome
1980s French Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Desk Accessories
Clay
Late 20th Century Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
1980s German Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Art Glass
1980s German Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Desk Accessories
Ceramic
1990s French Modern Desk Accessories
Leather, Alligator
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Desk Accessories
Clay
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Glass
20th Century American Modern Desk Accessories
Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Desk Accessories
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Marble
20th Century Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Desk Accessories
Plastic, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Desk Accessories
Silver, Silver Plate, Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s English Modern Desk Accessories
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Resin
Late 20th Century French Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
Late 20th Century Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 20th Century French Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal, Silver Plate
Early 2000s Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal, Brass
1960s French Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
1970s Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Gold Plate
Early 2000s Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal, Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal, Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Desk Accessories
Brass, Chrome
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Desk Accessories
Metal