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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
1970s Irish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Composition
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass, Murrine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Sheet Metal
1980s Philippine Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Early 2000s German Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Animal Skin, Suede, Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1920s Russian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Hungarian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Early 2000s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz, Rock Crystal
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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