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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Clay, Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
20th Century Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Maple, Walnut
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1980s Israeli Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Mahogany
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Thai Modern Decorative Objects
Faux Leather
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic, Fiberglass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1940s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
Early 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Cedar
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ebony
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1990s Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1970s Philippine Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster, Wood
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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