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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
2010s English Modern Decorative Objects
Ash
2010s North Korean Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Resin, PVC
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Quartz, Rock Crystal, Other
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Driftwood
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Luster, Stoneware
1970s English Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze, Enamel, Steel
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s North Korean Modern Decorative Objects
Shell
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Cedar
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal
2010s British Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Silicone
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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