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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Gold Leaf
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Plaster
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Finnish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1990s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Composition, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Fabric, Cotton
1960s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver, Bronze, Gold
2010s German Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Paint
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Polystyrene
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
20th Century Taiwanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Paint
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Sandstone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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