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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Cotton
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
2010s Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Marble
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Wood
1990s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Suede, Mahogany
20th Century Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Marble, Metal, Chrome
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Animal Skin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Guatemalan Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz, Rock Crystal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware, Pottery, Clay
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Metallic Thread
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Early 2000s Indonesian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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