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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Marble
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Pacific Islands Modern Decorative Objects
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Fiberglass
1960s English Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
1990s German Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite, Plexiglass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1990s Modern Decorative Objects
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s North Korean Modern Decorative Objects
Shell, Eggshell
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Polyester, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Early 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
1970s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery, Wood, Hardwood, Ebony, Maple, Oak, Walnut, Cedar, Fir,...
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Late 20th Century British Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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