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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
Mid-20th Century Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Cut Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Hide, Leather
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass, Art Glass
2010s Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Other
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Wood
Early 2000s Irish Modern Decorative Objects
Mahogany, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
2010s Peruvian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s North American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ultrasuede, Wood
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1990s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite, Silver Plate, Copper
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Ash
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Nickel, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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