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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite, Onyx
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Cotton
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx
Early 1900s French Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
2010s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
20th Century North American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1990s Scandinavian Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Polish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 2000s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1940s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
1980s Philippine Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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