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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
Early 20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Enamel
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Epoxy Resin
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s North American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
20th Century Israeli Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum, Sterling Silver
2010s Czech Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s English Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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