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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s Philippine Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Belgian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Earthenware, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete, Cement
1960s Croatian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Bone, Horn, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s Australian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Silver Plate
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s European Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Greek Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
15th Century and Earlier Malagasy Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Decorative Objects
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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