Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Indian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Iron
2010s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Resin
2010s South American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Turkish Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stone, Marble
2010s Ukrainian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Brass, Steel
20th Century French Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Earthenware
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Iron
2010s American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
1950s French Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal, Gold Plate, Enamel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal
20th Century Spanish Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s French Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
2010s American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
2010s Chinese Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal, Aluminum
1980s German Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal, Silver Plate, Metal
1990s Japanese Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Clay
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal
20th Century Portuguese Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
2010s Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
1990s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver
2010s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Resin
1980s French Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal, Metal, Silver Plate
1950s French Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver, Copper
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Malachite, Silver Plate, Copper
2010s Chinese Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal, Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal, Brass, Enamel, Chrome
2010s Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal, Stainless Steel
2010s Czech Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
2010s American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
1980s French Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal, Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Resin
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass
1960s German Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver Plate, Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Resin
20th Century French Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
Late 20th Century German Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
1970s American Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Belgian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
20th Century English Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Pottery, Stoneware
2010s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Resin
Late 20th Century German Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain