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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1990s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
1880s Italian Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Clay, Terracotta
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta, Wicker
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Paint
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Alabaster, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s North Korean Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Resin, PVC
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s North American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Coral
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Greek Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s North Korean Modern Decorative Objects
Shell
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Early 20th Century Israeli Modern Decorative Objects
Abalone, Mother-of-Pearl, Olive
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Majolica
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
1960s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Shagreen Stingray
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz, Rock Crystal, Gold, Brass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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