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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1990s Swedish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s South American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate, Metal
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Wire
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood, Foam, Walnut
Early 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s South African Modern Decorative Objects
Clay, Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1990s Swiss Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s South American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Wire, Stainless Steel, Bronze, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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