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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood, Foam, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Late 20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal, Silver Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1990s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Amethyst, Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Wool
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Granite, Steel, Cut Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Mirror, Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Cotton
2010s Palestinian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
Early 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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