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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Bronze
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Cut Glass
1930s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Lucite
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s Greek Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s European Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plexiglass
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
2010s Australian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1940s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
Early 2000s European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Rosewood
2010s North Korean Modern Decorative Objects
Shell, Eggshell
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
1980s English Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s European Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Abalone, Porcelain, Stoneware
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s European Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Oak
2010s Czech Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Australian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Czech Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1940s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Sommerso
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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