Modern Decorative Objects
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Rose Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel, Magnets
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Magnets, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel, Magnets
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Granite, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Swedish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Swedish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass, Bronze, Stainless Steel, Wire
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass, Bronze, Stainless Steel, Wire
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Wire, Stainless Steel, Bronze, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass
1950s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Bronze
2010s Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Walnut, Beech, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood
2010s Czech Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s North American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s South African Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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