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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Decorative Objects
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
1950s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Clay
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Murrine
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Shell, Wood
2010s British Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plaster
2010s Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Copper
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1990s Swedish Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
1970s English Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Terracotta
2010s 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 Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Travertine
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery, Clay
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery, Clay
1990s Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Dutch Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s Palestinian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery, Clay
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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