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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Objects
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper, Enamel
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 2000s French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Epoxy Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Maple, Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
2010s Ukrainian Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
2010s Palestinian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s French Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Lucite
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin, Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut
2010s North Korean Modern Decorative Objects
Shell, Eggshell
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut
1950s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Maple
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Maple
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Walnut
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Maple, Walnut
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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