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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Polyester, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Rose Quartz
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete, Cement
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Wire
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1970s Philippine Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Marble
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Silver Plate
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Gold Plate, Platinum
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Australian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Silver Plate
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Marble
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Mid-20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Mirror, Wood, Burl
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Chrome
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
Early 2000s Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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