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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
Early 2000s French Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass, Polystyrene, Walnut
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Peruvian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Quartz
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Smoked Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1990s English Modern Decorative Objects
Wicker
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
2010s Moroccan Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
20th Century Taiwanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
1960s Maltese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Jute, Plaster, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
1990s Hungarian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Central American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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