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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Murano Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass, Plastic
1990s French Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum, Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Paper
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1960s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
2010s Guatemalan Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Mahogany
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
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s South African Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Cedar
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1960s German Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stone
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Earthenware
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Chestnut
1990s German Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
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
Murano Glass
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s European Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plexiglass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Stainless Steel, Chrome
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Sandstone
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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