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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Early 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1980s Finnish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Plaster
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf, Iron
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal
1990s German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Burl
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Other
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Chestnut
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
20th Century Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Bone, Felt
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Bone, Wood, Bentwood
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Glass
2010s Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Plaster
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Lucite
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Stone, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1990s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Agate, Metal
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Travertine
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Horn, Wood
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Quartz, Metal, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Stone, Metal
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
Late 20th Century North American Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Oak, Fabric
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century Taiwanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Paint
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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