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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Senegalese Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Chrome
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Alabaster, Marble
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Majolica
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Quartz, Rock Crystal
1980s North American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Plaster
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold Plate
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Nickel, Enamel
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Quartz
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble, Statuary Marble
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Coral
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Polystyrene
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Fiberglass
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1990s European Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
20th Century Modern Decorative Objects
Precious Stone
15th Century and Earlier Antique Modern Decorative Objects
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal, Metal, Brass, Chrome
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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