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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 French Modern Decorative Objects
Sandstone
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Agate, Metal, Silver Plate
20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1970s English Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Martinican Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Animal Skin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Majolica
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 2000s Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass
Early 2000s Zimbabwean Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Serpentine
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Early 19th Century French Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
Late 20th Century Zimbabwean Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Pewter
1940s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
1960s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Zebra Hide
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1970s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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