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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Ebony
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood, Walnut, Maple
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Nickel, Metal
Mid-20th Century Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Suede, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta, Ceramic
Early 2000s Northern Irish Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz, Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Polystyrene
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Senegalese Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
1980s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Cut Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Earthenware
Mid-20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Israeli Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Romanian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
Early 2000s French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Polyester, Wood
2010s Central American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Enamel
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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