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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Chrome
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Sheet Metal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Granite, Steel, Cut Steel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Early 2000s American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Swiss Modern Decorative Objects
Enamel, Aluminum
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Aluminum
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Agate, Alabaster, Metal
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Oak, Fiberglass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite, Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Birdseye Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold
Early 20th Century Russian Modern Decorative Objects
Malachite
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s European Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
Late 20th Century Belgian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Suede, Mahogany
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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