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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate, Brass
1980s European Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Pacific Islands Modern Decorative Objects
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Chilean Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
Late 20th Century Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s South African Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Early 2000s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Greek Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Oak
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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