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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Silver Plate
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Mirror
Early 20th Century Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
2010s Czech Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1980s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Driftwood
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1990s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1950s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
1980s English Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Granite, Bronze
1990s German Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Cotton
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1990s Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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