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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Japanese Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Mirror, Reclaimed Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1980s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century German Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Stoneware
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Plywood, Paint
1980s British Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1970s Canadian Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Early 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1980s North American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Onyx, Marble
Early 20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Marble, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Decorative Objects
Copper, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Objects
Silver
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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