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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
20th Century Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
2010s Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s African Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel
1930s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
Late 20th Century European Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass, Bronze
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Brass
Late 20th Century Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Granite, Copper
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 2000s American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Hardwood, Maple, Walnut
Early 2000s German Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
1940s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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