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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Foam
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Cedar
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
Late 20th Century Scottish Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1950s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Irish Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut, Burl
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1990s Hungarian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz, Rock Crystal
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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