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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Travertine, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Pine
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood
1990s Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Chrome
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Earthenware
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Stone, Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
20th Century British Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine, Marble
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Sandstone, Enamel
2010s Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
Early 2000s Swedish Modern Decorative Objects
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Agate, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Nickel
1960s Philippine Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
20th Century Swedish Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass
20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1990s Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Copper
2010s South American Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Stone, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1930s Brazilian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1940s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine, Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine, Marble
1990s German Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Plexiglass, Lucite
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Wire, Stainless Steel, Bronze, Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine, Marble
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Ebony, Lacquer
2010s Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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