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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s European Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century Swiss Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood, Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
1970s English Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Slate, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Clay, Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
Late 20th Century British Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
1990s English Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta, Clay
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
1980s Israeli Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
Early 2000s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Metal
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold Plate
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Amethyst, Carnelian
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Plexiglass
20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Animal Skin
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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