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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble, Brass
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Teak, Reclaimed Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
20th Century Unknown 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
Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster, Paper, Wood
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
20th Century Malian Modern Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1970s Dutch Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Beech
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Oak, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Sheet Metal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Sandstone
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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