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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Bamboo, Rattan
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Belgian Black Marble
1980s Czech Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Composition, Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1950s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
1930s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Early 2000s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel
1950s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1980s African Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1970s Philippine Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Granite, Steel, Cut Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Murano Glass, Cut Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Travertine, Granite, Marble, Carrara Marble, Gold Leaf
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
Mid-20th Century Finnish Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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