Skip to main content

Modern Curtains and Valances

MODERN STYLE

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 chaircrafted 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.

2
20
10
2
to
4
20
12
32
14
17
14
11
8
6
6
6
4
3
3
3
2
1
1
2
30
2
28
17
9
7
5
29
12
11
2
2
4
3
2
2
Style: Modern
Soft and Tactile Hand Dyed Fortuny Silk Velvet in Teal - 2.25 yards
Located in Morristown, NJ
21st century hand dyed Fortuny silk velour velvet fabric in a rich teal color. This is a sumptuous and tactile velvet fabric. In the early 20th century, the velvet Fortuny used was a very light silk velvet that he imported from France and came in its raw state of white or slightly creamy. The whole process from raw materials to the final result depended on Fortuny. He produced the dyes, the colors, the blocks or stencils and the machines. Fortuny velvet...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Silk, Velvet

Venetian Fortuny Canestrelli Fabric in Ivory and Silvery Gold, 5.25 Yards
Located in Morristown, NJ
21st c. print run of Fortuny Canestrelli fabric in ivory with a silvery gold texture. The delicate, geometric shell pattern is as playful as it is sophisticated, with the versatility...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton

Venetian Fortuny Persiano Fabric in White on White, 2 Yards
Located in Morristown, NJ
21st century print run of Fortuny Persiano fabric in white on white. The dense decoration, geometric layout, and elegant and harmonious Persian art style inspired many of Mariano For...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton

Venetian Fortuny Malmaison Fabric in String and Gold Stripes on Ivory, 28 Yards
Located in Morristown, NJ
21st c. print run of Fortuny Malmaison fabric in string and gold stripes on ivory. The Chateau Malmaison, a once derelict estate on Paris’s outskirts, was Josephine Bonaparte’s great...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton

Arpeggi by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Arpeggi by Nathalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 100 x h 70 cm Materials: Brass, bio cotton. Technique: Manually woven. Hand-crafted. Arpeggi is a woven tapestry that plays wit...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Brass

Sver by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Sver by Natalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 100 x 80cm Materials: Silk. Dyed blue and grey Technique: Manually woven, and painted. Hand-craf...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Silk, Paint

Sverige by Natalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Sverige by Natalie Van der Massen Limited Edition, 10 pieces. Dimensions: 195 x H 290cm Materials: 100% Linen. Dyed in Midnight Blue/ Anthracit...
Category

2010s Belgian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Linen

Amara by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Amara by Nathalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 150 x H 50cm Materials: Linen, Bio Cotton. Off white color. Technique: Manually woven. Hand-c...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton, Linen

Malibu by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Malibu by Natalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 35 x 40cm Materials: Bio cotton, paper. Color off white. Technique: Manually woven. Hand-crafted....
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Paper, Cotton

Aconite by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Aconite by Natalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 55 x 45cm Materials: Bio cotton, paper. Colour Off white Technique: Manually woven. Hand-crafted. Aconite is a beautiful piece of tapestry with different textures that fits in every room. By manually cutting away threads in the graphic image — certain areas of this fabric become transparent and textured. Designer's Biography Nathalie Van der Massen...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Alpaca, Cotton

Tous by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Tous by Natalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 160 x 145cm Materials: Wool, Alpaca, Bio cotton. Colour off white Technique: Manually woven. Hand...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton, Alpaca

That Was Yesterday by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
That Was Yesterday by Natalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 155 x 50 cm Materials: Linen, Bio Cotton. Color white, grey, black Technique: Manually...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton, Paper

of Hoping by Nathalie Van Der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Of hoping by Natalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 100 x 80cm Materials: Linen, bio cotton. Dyed white, grey, green. Technique: Manually woven...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Silk, Paint

Meridian by Natalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Meridian by Natalie Van der Massen Limited Edition. Dimensions: 115 x H 150cm Materials: Paper, bio cotton. Color off white. Technique: Manually woven. Hand-crafted. Meridian is a beautifully textured tapestry suited...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton, Paper

Colourless Sky by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Colourless sky by Nathalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 50 x H 150 cm Materials: Linen, bio cotton. Off white, grijs. Technique: Manually woven. Hand-crafted. Colorless Sky is a han...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton, Linen

Set of 2 Hey Moon by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Hey Moon by Natalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 2 x 100 x 80cm Materials: PA, Bio Cotton. Color Silver Technique: Manually woven. Hand-crafted. Diptych. Hey Moon is a beautiful e...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Silk, Paint

OMS by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
OMS by Natalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 160 x 110cm Materials: Papier, Bio Cotton. Color Ecru. Technique: Manually woven. Hand-crafted. Paint...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton, Paper

Set of 2 Amara & Colourless Sky by Nathalie Van der Massen
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 amara & colourless sky by Natalie Van der Massen Dimensions: 50 x H 150 cm (each). Materials: Linen, bio cotton. Off white, grijs. Technique: Manually woven. Hand-crafted. Amara & Colourless Sky is a handcrafted tapestry. Unique in its kind. With beautiful, subtle colors that create a calm and peaceful environment in every room. Paired with the Amara Tapestry to create the perfect duo. Designer's Biography Nathalie Van der Massen (°88) is a designer working in the field of textile and graphic design, interior, and architecture. After finishing her Master in Graphic Design at Sint Lucas Antwerp, she went to LUCA Ghent for a 2nd degree in Textile Design. During this study period, she was selected for a residency at the Textile Museum in Tilburg and did internships with an Italian fashion company in Como and later with fashion designer Christian Wijnants...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton, Linen

Melodicware Trio, Musical Portal, Agustina Bottoni
Located in Geneve, CH
Designed by Agustina Bottoni Handcrafted in Italy Materials: Solid brass with satin finish - rayon fringes Size: 150cm x 110cm Chain length: 150cm / 60 Melodicware explores the auditory experience of objects. These items contains brass chimes of different lengths that play musical notes. Swinging by breeze or touch, they release casual melodies inspired by Debussy. Melodicware not only embellishes a space as a jewel. Through interaction, it comes to life for a fleeting moment. The lush fringes of the delicate pieces invite to be touched by passers by, becoming thus an unexpected musical instrument. Agustina Bottoni Agustina Bottoni is an independent Argentinian designer based in Milan. She works for companies, private clients and self-productions of objects, textiles and furniture. Graduated at the University of Buenos Aires, and after years of working in the fashion industry, she transferred to Milan, graduating with honors of the MA in product design at the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti. Following, she collaborated with design studios in Italy and the Netherlands before dedicating since 2015 to her independent design practice. Exploring the language of everyday objects, these projects tell stories through a gentle use of shape. Agustina’s multicultural experience influences the research of different materials and techniques. They also encourage an emotional perception, considering objects as companions in our lives. Her works have been exhibited at Triennale Design Museum in Milan, Salone del Mobile, Maison&Objet and others. Since 2016, she is a co-founder of design collective The Ladies’ Room. Selected exhibitions 2017: Operæ Design Fair, Lingotto, Turin 2017: Fenoména by The Ladies’ Room, 5Vie Milan, Italy 2017: Ambiente Fair with Il Coccio Design Edition, Frankfurt 2016: W. Women in Italian...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Brass

Single Cream Curtain on Valance, Window Treatment, Drapery
Located in Stamford, CT
A spectacular Curtain or Drapery Window Treatment, Valance Removed directly from Dr Shawn Garber's home on the Gold Coast of Long Island. Part of an ...
Category

Early 2000s Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton, Linen

Melodicware Trio II, Musical Portal, Agustina Bottoni
Located in Geneve, CH
Designed by Agustina Bottoni Handcrafted in Italy Materials: solid brass with satin finish, rayon fringes Size: 150cm x 60cm Chain length: 150cm / 60 Melodicware explore the auditory experience of objects. These items contains brass chimes of different lengths that play musical notes. Swinging by breeze or touch, they release casual melodies inspired by Debussy. Melodicware not only embellishes a space as a jewel. Through interaction, it comes to life for a fleeting moment. The lush fringes of the delicate pieces invite to be touched by passers-by, becoming thus an unexpected musical instrument. Agustina Bottoni Agustina Bottoni is an independent Argentinian designer based in Milan. She works for companies, private clients and self-productions of objects, textiles and furniture. Graduated at the University of Buenos Aires, and after years of working in the fashion industry, she transferred to Milan, graduating with honors of the MA in product design at the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti. Following, she collaborated with design studios in Italy and the Netherlands before dedicating since 2015 to her independent design practice. Exploring the language of everyday objects, these projects tell stories through a gentle use of shape. Agustina’s multicultural experience influences the research of different materials and techniques. They also encourage an emotional perception, considering objects as companions in our lives. Her works have been exhibited at Triennale Design museum in Milan, Salone del Mobile, Maison & Objet and others. Since 2016, she is a co-founder of design collective The Ladies Room. Selected exhibitions 2017: Operæ Design Fair, Lingotto, Turin 2017: Fenoména by The Ladies’ Room, 5Vie Milan, Italy 2017: Ambiente Fair with Il Coccio Design Edition, Frankfurt 2016: W. Women in Italian...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Brass

Melodicware Trio, Musical Portal, Agustina Bottoni
Located in Geneve, CH
Designed by Agustina Bottoni Handcrafted in Italy Materials: solid brass with satin finish - rayon fringes Size 110cm x 22cm / 43” x 9” Chain length 150cm / 60" Melodicware ex...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Brass

Hand Painted Silk Noil Plant Life Curtains
Located in Brooklyn, NY
By Naomi Clark 2020 Materials: Hand Painted Silk Noil. Dimensions: 53" wide, sold by the yard. Lead Time: 3-4 weeks.
Category

2010s North American Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Silk

Scalamandre Window Treatments, Curtains, Drapery Rainbow Stripe, Fringed, Lined
Located in Stamford, CT
A spectacular set of Curtains or Drapery Window Treatments, Valances Removed directly from Dr Shawn Garber's home on the Gold Coast of Long Island. P...
Category

Early 2000s American Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton, Linen

Brunschwig and Fils Charing Cross Colefax & Fowler Collection, London, 1975
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Brunschwig and fils charing cross Colefax & Fowler Collection, London, 1975. 10+ Yards with width of 88." Gorgeous vibrant green, will arrive folded. About 372” x 88”.
Category

Mid-20th Century British Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Cotton, Linen

Pink Velvet and Brass Italian Customizable Curtain by Vintage Domus Collection
Located in Milano, IT
Beautiful and elegant curtain made of soft and velvety blackout fabric, thick but light, prevents most of the light to penetrate into the room thus avoiding annoying reflections on monitors and TVs, provides greater privacy in the environment of use avoiding prying eyes. The fabric is 100% polyester, flame retardant. The curtain of the collection Vintage Domus...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Brass

Designtex Clarkenwell Royal Wool Textile, Wallace and Sewell, UK, Cooper Hewitt
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designtex Clarkenwell Royal Wool Textile, Wallace and Sewell, UK, Cooper Hewitt Royal Collection Wallace Sewell 100% wool Weight per unit 11.2 oun...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Wool

Brunschwig & Fils Kininvie Neoclassical Cotton Textile, Robins Egg Blue, 2000
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Brunschwig & Fils hand-printed Kininvie neoclassical cotton textile, robin’s egg blue, 2000. Iconic historical print from the venerable textile house of Brunschwig & Fils. Based on a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Fabric, Cotton

Italian Linen Curtain "Aviator with Parachute"
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Original curtain for the children's room: it can be completed with two side white curtains. The bears are perfectly aviator's dressed and stopped on the curtain with a safety pin, t...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Linen

Vintage Embroidered Silk Charmeuse Fabric, White Floral Champagne Taupe, Rare
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Midcentury embroidered silk fabric, white floral champagne taupe, rare vintage. Gorgeous midcentury textile. Marked 100 percent silk. Approxima...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Silk

Embroidered Curtain for a Baby Room with Teddy Bears
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Unusual curtain for a baby room, with sun and two teddy bears: to be completed with other white curtains, if necessary. The teddy bears are attached with a s...
Category

2010s European Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Linen

Royal Silk Velvet, Golden Tan, Cream Beige, Made in Italy
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Royal silk velvet, golden tan, cream beige, made in Italy. This listing is for 6-3/8 yards by 54 inches wide of this exceptional quality velvet. Decadent 100. Percent silk velvet in ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Curtains and Valances

Materials

Silk, Velvet

Modern curtains and valances for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Modern curtains and valances for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage curtains and valances created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include more furniture and collectibles, wall decorations, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with fabric, cotton and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Modern curtains and valances made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and Netherlands pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original curtains and valances, popular names associated with this style include Fortuny, Agustina Bottoni, Brunschwig & Fils, and Scalamandre. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for curtains and valances differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $200 and tops out at $11,900 while the average work can sell for $4,000.

Recently Viewed

View All