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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite, Velvet
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1960s English Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
Early 2000s Zimbabwean Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Serpentine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Steel
2010s Australian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Majolica
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Australian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 20th Century Northern Irish Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Suede, Wood
1950s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
1930s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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