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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s North American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Early 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Vietnamese Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood, Walnut
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century Belarusian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Rose Quartz
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery, Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Nickel, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Statuary Marble
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Pewter
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Romanian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Nickel, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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