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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Irish Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut, Burl
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Early 2000s European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Copper
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
Early 2000s French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Polystyrene
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Cherry
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Hide, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
Early 2000s French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Suede, Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Tourmaline, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Statuary Marble
1970s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic, Acrylic
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Lucite
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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