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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Cut Steel, Steel
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
1990s Finnish Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Sheet Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1970s Czech Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1920s Austrian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome, Zinc
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
2010s Central American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete, Cement
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Alabaster, Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Polyester, Wood
2010s South American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1920s Russian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Wire
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1970s Irish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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