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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Czech Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
Early 2000s Irish Modern Decorative Objects
Mahogany, Walnut
1990s Finnish Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s French Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Cut Steel, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
2010s South American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1970s Maltese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Granite, Marble, Steel, Cut Steel
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
1990s British Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s South American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1970s Maltese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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