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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
20th Century Taiwanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Bronze
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1990s British Modern Decorative Objects
Cut Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Copper
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
20th Century Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Granite
21st Century and Contemporary Martinican Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Polystyrene
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 2000s French Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Wood
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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