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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Cement
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Cast Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
2010s English Modern Decorative Objects
Cement
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Plexiglass
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Mirror, Wood
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Epoxy Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Bronze
2010s Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood, Foam, Walnut
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ebony
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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