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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s English Modern Decorative Objects
Ash
2010s Peruvian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
20th Century North American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ebony
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crocodile
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Early 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic
Early 2000s Austrian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Enamel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Composition, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Other
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Paper
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Brass
2010s Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Hide, Leather
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1960s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Greek Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Mid-20th Century Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Australian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum, Cut Steel
2010s Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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