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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
15th Century and Earlier Malagasy Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal, Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Copper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Shagreen, Wood, Lacquer
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Austrian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Bone, Horn, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Pyrite
1990s English Modern Decorative Objects
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Early 19th Century French Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver, Sterling Silver
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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