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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Earthenware, Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Earthenware
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Pine
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Cedar
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Shell
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware, Clay
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Cast Stone, Cement
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Alabaster
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Brass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster, Jute, Fiberglass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1960s Croatian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Bamboo, Rattan
1980s Czech Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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