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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery, Stoneware
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Cement
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Lucite
20th Century North American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz, Rock Crystal
2010s South African Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel
Early 20th Century Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Cherry
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Rose Quartz
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Cement
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century Malian Modern Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver, Enamel
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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