Minimalist Decorative Objects

Abstract Modernist glass sculpture signed d'Este Bruno. This interesting 20th century glass table sculpture would make a great cocktail or bookc...

This set of 8 Italian brushed brass candle holders is handcrafted in Italy and designed by Federica Paoli for Caspal. Each candle holder features a sculptural, softly rounded silhoue...

Karim Rashid for Leonardo Germany Limited Edition New Move Silver Glass Vase, ca 1999. Measures 8” high, base 3-1/2” wide, and mouth 2-1/4” wide. There is a small scratch of silver finish/coating on glass (we've posted an image of the interior and exterior at the area of the scratch). There is also a faint area of small blemishes at the base See images for more detail. If there’s one thing karim rashid hates, it’s trophies. The 40-year-old designer has more than 40 of them, from big international ones like the 1999 George Nelson Award (given for breakthrough furniture design), to quaint little Canadian ones like Designer of the Year 2001. “It came with a little pin,” says Rashid, “and a … a … very nice …” He tries to describe the shape of the award with his hands but gives up. “It’s time that whole trophy thing changes. It’s kitsch. They’re functionless things.” Rashid was asked to design one for the DaimlerChrysler Design Awards (he’s a past recipient). “I was going to make it electro-luminescent. When the lights go out, it has a sensor so it turns on,” he says. But the trophy-as-night-light, a reminder of one’s worth in the darkest hours, didn’t impress Chrysler’s people. He never heard back. They may well be gnawing their knuckles over that decision right now because Rashid’s conquest of the realm of product design is all but complete. A lush and suitably worshipful retrospective of his work, Karim Rashid: I Want to Change the World (Thames & Hudson; 249 pages), hits Australasian bookstores this month. There was a crowd around anything with his stamp on it-including stools, chess sets and storage units-at the recent International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City. More than 2 million North Americans are throwing their rubbish into a receptacle he designed, while 750,000 or so park their rears on one of his cheapo plastic chairs. It’s not just in North America. He has been dubbed Der Poet des Plastiks by a retailer in Germany and the prolifico progettista Americano by Interni magazine in Italy. Trophies he may despise, but accolades Rashid can handle. The problem with being the Most Famous Industrial Designer in All the Americas is that you’re still less famous than someone who got kicked off Survivor the first week. Most people cannot name the designer of one nonclothing item in their homes. Rashid, who was born in Egypt, raised in Canada and is living in New York City, is more than happy to bring an end to this anonymity. Not just because he wants to be famous, although there seems to be that, but because he believes design should be a bigger part of the social discourse. “I have been almost alone in this country, trying to make design become a public subject,” he says. His chief method of persuasion is to make the banal better so that people notice design more. He likes creating expensive furniture and perfume bottles just fine, but what really gets his juices going is the everyday: manhole covers, a cremation urn, disposable cigarette lighters, garbage bins, salt and pepper shakers, plastic pens. “I want American Standard to come to me to do the toilets for Home Depot,” he says. In many ways Rashid is more like an itinerant industrial evangelist than a designer. He traveled 200 days last year. He claims to have been to every major mall in America, where he signs his products in high-end design stores and trolls about observing humans interacting with the objects around them. He has taught at design schools for more than a decade, and his work has been in 11 art shows in the past eight months. But mostly he has proselytized the corporate barbarians. And like any good missionary, he has learned to speak the language of his converts. One of the first things he does when he gets new clients is tour their factories to understand their manufacturing capacity. He also visits the retail outlets to see how the product might be displayed. And he really knows how to sell, especially himself. “I work with a guy in L.A.,” says Rashid, declining to name him. “He made a lot of really bad furniture. His business was hand-to-mouth. I proposed seven or eight projects. The pieces I’ve done for him have already become iconic.” The subtitle of his monograph, I Want to Change the World, is not ironic, just characteristically immodest. “Most industrial-design studios try to interpret a client’s needs and come up with a style,” says Paul Rowan, co-founder of housewares manufacturer Umbra. “Karim has his own personal vision.” It helps that Rashid’s vision incorporates things that Rowan needs, like a design that will stack and ship easily and that creates little waste in the making. Rashid’s father was a set designer for Canadian TV who rearranged the family furniture every Sunday. So perhaps it was ordained that Karim would grow up to become one of the pioneers in non-cheesy plastic, making objects that have energy and personality but aren’t wacky. He, like many of his generation, has championed the could-only-be-designed-with-computers blob. But his is not just a blob for its own sake. His Oh Chair...

Delaunay and Gabo vases from the "Suprematic" collection. The collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist movemen...

Beautiful patina on this antique offering bowl from Sumatra. We only source the best. Finished with a natural oil revealing the unique wood grain. Full dimensions; 11.5" diameter x ...

Bi Sculpture on steel stand (medium) Crystal Hand carved Steel Contemporary sculpture Limited edition Crystal shapes and inclusions vary.  

Gabo vase, one of the vases from the "Suprematic" collection. Collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist moveme...

Charged with the humble task of storing dry goods, this small earthenware jar is hand-shaped with balanced proportions and a beautifully irregular unglazed surface. The round jar has...

Elegant and refined, this Mid Century Modern signed clear art glass antelope sculpture captures the grace and poise of the animal through a f...

Gabo vase, one of the vases from the "Suprematic" collection. Collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist moveme...

Genke Vase — part of the Suprematic Collection by NOOM, designed by Kateryna Sokolova, embodies the brand’s signature fusion of contemporary, bold, sculptural design with functional ...

Gabo vase, one of the vases from the "Suprematic" collection. Collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist moveme...

High Compote Black Lacquer Hand Repoussé Limited Edition Each piece is individually crafted and is unique. Lacquer is a technique that dates back to the Shang dynasty, circa 16...

Genke Vase — part of the Suprematic Collection by NOOM, designed by Kateryna Sokolova, embodies the brand’s signature fusion of contemporary, bold, sculptural design with functional ...

Malevich Vase — part of the Suprematic Collection by NOOM — is a tribute to the visionary genius of Kazimir Malevich and the bold geometry of the Suprematist movement. This early 20t...

Delaunay vase, one of the vases from the "Suprematic" collection. The collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist...

'Sculptural Flowers - Dal' handmade white ceramic vase This vase is part of a new series inspired by flowers (and more generally organic elem...

A beautiful oval bowl is hand carved from a single piece of Merbau wood. Circa 1950 One of a kind bowl sourced in the spirit of Wabi Sabi, a Japanese philosophy that beauty can be f...

While shield and spear were central to African combat, this iron sword blade was most likely made to serve as a piece of trade currency. Many pre-colonization African currencies were...

“Gentle Wave” Travertine Bowls by Guillaume Lopez Beautiful, sculptural travertine bowls designed by French architect and designer Guillaume Lopez. Entitled “Gentle Wave,” these pie...

Banana Leaf Sculpture/ Tray Black Lacquer Hand Repoussé Limited Edition Each piece is individually crafted and is unique. Lacquer is a technique that dates back to the Shang ...

This elegant and fine vase has Italian design and it is totally made in Italy. The base is black lacquered.   

'Lilies’ handmade white ceramic vase. This vase is part of a new series inspired by flowers (and more generally organic elements). Here is ou...

‘LUNE [M] N°1 - White ceramic vase. Measures' H: 23 cm / L: 26 cm H: 9 inch / L: 10.2 inch - Stoneware fired at high temperature finished with transparent glossy glaze inside....

The Fit Candle One is a minimalist style candle holder made of treated Travertine marble. This candle holder is composed by three marble pieces and a solid brass piece, all of them a...

This elegant and fine vase has Italian design and it is totally made in Italy. That base is black lacquered.

Discover the rustic charm of this vintage studio pottery vase, a unique handcrafted piece that embodies the soulful artistry of the mid-20th century. Its organic, teardrop silhouette...

We are thrilled to to share with you the first addition to INI CERAMIQUE’s 2024 collection. Inspired by the works of the painting artist Giorgio Morandi...

Set of 8 - Handcrafted in Italy, this silver-plated brass centerpiece pedestal combines minimalist aesthetics with timeless craftsmanship. Designed by Federica Paoli, it features a s...

Contemporary Italian highly collectible potted glass cactus of limited edition, entirely handcrafted in Murano, with modern Minimalist design blown by Fornace Mian, in a lifelike org...

Natural abstract white birch branch on a chrome stand in Italian design 21th Century This is a white mat lacquered natural birch branch mounted on a meta...

This small terracotta planter sits with a minimal form and a beautifully irregular finish. The ceramic vessel has a tapered silhouette, with a wide mouth, narrowed base and a broad r...

Modernist Minimalist white glass flower vase with clear glass base with some bubbles. This Minimalist white vase very modern shape will fit any de...

Coil-built ceramic stool with black coppered glaze. Marked with an engraved bronze label to underside: Jonathan Nesci w/ Robert Pulley 18/16. Designe...

Vide Poche Minimalist in Wood, Gabon 1950 Brown Color

This serene and deeply textured studio pottery bowl captures the essence of classic Mid-Century ceramic art, emphasizing natural materials and functional design. Hand-thrown, the bow...

This set of 40 Italian polished aluminum candle holders is a complete large-scale decorative collection crafted for interior designers, stylists, event planners, and collectors seeki...

This set of 30 Italian polished aluminum candle holders is designed for collectors, interior designers, and stylists seeking contemporary centerpiece elements with high visual impact...

This set of 20 polished aluminum candle holders is a contemporary Italian collection featuring a sculptural, architectural silhouette. Each candle holder is crafted with a mirror-pol...

Set of 10 Italian Polished Aluminum Candlesticks – Contemporary Sculptural Candle Holders This set of 10 polished aluminum candlesticks is a contemporary Italian collection crafted ...

Set of 6 Italian Silver Plated Brass Candlestick with Sculptural Contemporary Design This elegant set of 6 Italian silver plated brass candelabra embodies the perfect blend of sculp...

Century year old wood with incredible patina is set on a minimalist black steel base which is twelve x ten inches. This beautiful single piece of wood, resembling a torso, has been h...

To perpetuate the memorable wooden boxes at fairs in Brazil, the architect and designer Tiago Curioni, a Brazilian based in Portugal, recreated the glass boxes, in a limited series of 30 units. Named as Quitandeira, it has a system of glass rulers...

‘Flowers Pattern’ Handmade White Ceramic Vase This vase is part of a new series inspired by iconic Art (and more precisely paintings) movements. Here is our Lune [M] model with moti...

Beautiful rare antique shallow tray from the Mentawai islands. Hand carved from a single piece of wood with lovely patina. Circa 1900. This antique tray was sourced in the spirit o...

Incredibly beautiful paperweight constructed as a clothespin in brass. Sleek with modernist essence. The luminous brass catapults this piece to sculpture. A very chic addition to you...

Elevate your decor with the striking, organic allure of this vintage polished black stone tusk sculpture. Crafted from a dark, rich stone with a smooth, tactile finish, this piece em...

Invite a sense of serenity into your home with this exquisite vintage studio pottery bud vase. Reminiscent of traditional Asian ceramics, the vessel features a lustrous celadon or pa...

A part of a captivating triptych blending ancient Greek pottery with contemporary design, the ‘Greek Pitcher’ vase showcases delicate blue underglaze illustrations that harmonize tra...

Vintage Collectible Porcelain Dish Tower Hotel London Ashtray England 1960s. Advertisement ashtray trinket dish from the Tower Hotel London. Great catch...

‘Dripping Rounds' Handmade White Ceramic Vase This vase is part of a new series inspired by iconic Art (and more precisely paintings) movements. Here is our DAL model with round m...

A rare hand crafted bowl from the "Bone" series designed by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Company in the mid 1980's. The bowl is probably an earlier design from the collection and is ra...

We are thrilled to to share with you the first addition to INI CERAMIQUE’s 2024 collection. Inspired by the works of the painting artist Giorgio Morandi, our designer has been reinte...

'Camelia’ handmade white ceramic vase This vase is part of a new series inspired by flowers (and more generally organic elements. Here is our...

‘Dal Negative Big Circles Black’ Ceramic Vase This vase is part of a new series inspired by iconic Art (and more precisely paintings) movements. Here is our DAL model with motifs ...

Set of 3 Italian Silver Plated Brass Candleholder with Sculptural Contemporary Design Create a striking and luminous atmosphere with this set of three silver plated brass candlestic...

Large welded steel sculpture, "A Way Through" by Philadelphia based artist David Tothero. This sculpture has strong graphic imagery of curves and angles. The height is 37 inches and ...

These rattan baskets have a metal box inside, to protect the natural materials from water and of topsoil of the plants. They can be useful for many use in your kitchen or living room...

The elegant and modern paper basket in stainless steel, is manufactured in Italy and designed by Richard Hutten. The metal mesh becomes a decorative pattern and the basket could be p...

Discover the artisanal charm of this vintage Boho glazed ceramic bowl, a delightful piece that marries rustic simplicity with a distinctive hand-painted geometric pattern. The bowl f...