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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
1970s Australian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century Scottish Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s South American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz, Rock Crystal
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Composition
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Granite, Steel, Cut Steel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood, Foam, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
1990s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Iron, Steel, Cut Steel
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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