Modern Wall Decorations
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century French Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s American Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s Australian Modern Wall Decorations
Bronze
1990s Dutch Modern Wall Decorations
Parchment Paper
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Wall Decorations
Bronze, Stainless Steel
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Wall Decorations
Bronze, Stainless Steel
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Wall Decorations
Bronze, Stainless Steel
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Wall Decorations
Bronze, Stainless Steel
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Wall Decorations
Bronze, Stainless Steel
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Acrylic, Masonite
Late 20th Century American Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
1960s American Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Abalone, Acrylic
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Acrylic, Masonite
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Wall Decorations
Bronze, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Wall Decorations
Wool, Cotton
2010s British Modern Wall Decorations
Leather
2010s British Modern Wall Decorations
Leather
2010s British Modern Wall Decorations
Leather
2010s Brazilian Modern Wall Decorations
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Onyx, Stainless Steel, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Art Glass, Fiberglass, Paint
20th Century American Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s British Modern Wall Decorations
Plaster, Glass, Resin, Plastic, Plexiglass
2010s British Modern Wall Decorations
Leather
2010s British Modern Wall Decorations
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Art Glass, Fiberglass, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Glass, Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Glass, Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Glass, Mirror, Wood
2010s American Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s American Modern Wall Decorations
Gold Leaf
1990s Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Statuary Marble, Onyx, Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Onyx, Granite, Carrara Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Fiberglass, Art Glass, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Acrylic, Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Marble, Onyx, Carrara Marble, Gold Leaf, Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Wall Decorations
Foil
1970s German Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Acrylic
2010s Romanian Modern Wall Decorations
Other
2010s American Modern Wall Decorations
Granite, Stainless Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Brass, Iron
1980s American Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Other
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s American Modern Wall Decorations
Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century Modern Wall Decorations
Canvas, Paint
2010s Spanish Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
Early 2000s American Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s Ukrainian Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Wall Decorations
Metal
Inizio anni 2000 Americano Modern Wall Decorations
Metallo
2010s Spanish Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Plexiglass