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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
Late 20th Century Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Sheet Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century North American Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1970s Dutch Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
2010s Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century North American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx
20th Century Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century North American Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Sommerso
Late 20th Century Asian Modern Decorative Objects
Paper
2010s Indian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 2000s German Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Travertine, Marble, Metal, Brass
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1950s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Velvet
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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