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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Plastic
Late 20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Mid-20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Chestnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
15th Century and Earlier Malagasy Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Clay, Ceramic, Porcelain
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1990s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1980s African Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1990s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Early 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood
Early 2000s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Clay, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Early 2000s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Opaline Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
2010s Korean Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Resin, PVC
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s African Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Early 20th Century Austrian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Silver, Enamel
2010s Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1950s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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