Royalton Sofa
$3,800
Royalton Sofa
By Driade, Philippe Starck
Located in Toronto, CA
. Produced by Driade Aleph of Italy, the left arm sofa retains its original white upholstery. The
1990s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
Steel
$3,800
Royalton Sofa
By Driade, Philippe Starck
Located in Toronto, CA
. Produced by Driade Aleph of Italy, the left arm sofa retains its original white upholstery. The
Steel
Cassina Maralunga Zweisitzer Sofa Vico Magistretti Stoff kord grau Couch
By Cassina, Vico Magistretti
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten ein wunderschönes graues Maralunga Zweisitzer Sofa in Samt/ Kordstoff von Cassina zum
Velvet
Original Ligne Roset Sofa Smala Couch Leder schwarz Design france
By Ligne Roset
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten ein wunderschönes Zwei- bis Dreisitzer Sofa vom französischen Premiumhersteller Ligne
Steel
Italian 1970s Erasmo Sofa Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia Manner Living Room
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in London, GB
sofa imported all their furniture from Italy and Switzerland to Athens Greece in the early 1970s
Wood, Fabric
"Soriana" Sofa in Green Velvet by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy 1969
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Cassina
Located in Utrecht, NL
leisurely comfort to any home. This post-modern sofa was manufactured by Cassina as part of the eponymous
Metal
Original Living Divani Ile Cube Leder Sofa Couch Zweisitzer Design
By Living Divani
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten ein wunderschönes und sehr hochwertiges Zweisitzer Sofa ("Ile Cube") vom Italienischen
Leather
Italian Modular Sofa in Metal and Patterned Grey Fabric
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Modular sofa, fabric, metal, wood, Italy, 1970s This beautiful Italian sectional sofa showcases
Metal
Vintage Postmodern Three-seater Sofa in Red Wool and Black Metal, 1980s Italy
Located in Zagreb, HR
Vintage postmodern three-seater sofa in red wool upholstery with a black metal frame. Features a
Metal
Sculptural Tube Sofa by Anna & Carlo Bartoli for Rossi di Albizzate, 1990s Italy
By Carlo Bartoli, Rossi di Albizzate
Located in Zagreb, HR
Italian high-end furniture manufacturer Rossi di Albizzate. The sofa features internal tubular metal
Fabric, Foam
IPE Cavalli Italian Sectional Sofa in Colorful Striped Fabric
By Ipe Cavalli
Located in Waalwijk, NL
IPE Cavalli, sectional sofa, fabric, steel, Italy, 1970s This exceptional sectional sofa by IPE
Steel
Jasper Morrison Super Oblong Modular Sofa Set Design Cappellini Italy
By Jasper Morrison
Located in Krefeld, DE
This rare Super Oblong modular sofa set was designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini in Italy and
Cotton
2x Original B&B Italia Recamiere Charles Sofa Design Couch
By B&B Italia
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten zwei wunderschöne Zweisitzer Sofas vom renommierten italienischen Hersteller B&B
Metal
B&B Italia Sofa Lunar James Irvine Couch Zweisitzer Dreisitzer
By B&B Italia, James Irvine
Located in Berlin, DE
. Das umklappbare Sofa gilt als wahrer Designklassiker und besticht durch seine zeitlose und schlichte
Steel
$28,492 / item
Karl Sofa by Dennis Kaiser
Located in Geneve, CH
Karl Sofa by Dennis Kaiser Dimensions: D 110 x W 300 x H 70 cm. Materials: Linen, foam
Upholstery, Foam
$48,710 / item
Rialto Sofa by Laurameroni
Located in Geneve, CH
Rialto Sofa by Laurameroni Dimensions: W 264 x D 86 x H 75 cm Materials: Cachemire Loro Piana Altai
Travertine
Custom Italian Postmodern Vico Magistretti Style Large 2-Piece Sectional Sofa
By Vico Magistretti
Located in Chicago, IL
Custom Italian Postmodern Vico Magistretti Style Large 2-Piece Sectional Sofa Striking custom
Fabric
$13,370 / item
Mythos Sectional Sofa by Marioni
Located in Geneve, CH
Mythos Sectional Sofa by Marioni Dimensions: W 227 x D 185 x H 75 cm. Materials: Upholstery
Upholstery
$14,246 / item
Mythos Sectional Sofa by Marioni
Located in Geneve, CH
Mythos Sectional Sofa by Marioni Dimensions: W 200 x D 95 x H 75 cm. Materials: Upholstery
Upholstery
B&B Italia Sofa Diesis Leder weiß Couch Antonio Citterio Paolo Nava
By B&B Italia, Antonio Citterio, Paolo Nava
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten ein wunderschönes und äußerst hochwertiges Zweisitzer Sofa vom italienischen
Aluminum, Steel
$26,442 / item
Floating Bouclé Sofa by Dennis Kaiser
Located in Geneve, CH
Floating Bouclé Sofa by Dennis Kaiser Dimensions: D 110 x W 320 x H 75 cm. Materials: Alpaca wool
Upholstery, Foam
$24,067 / item
Levante Sofa by Francesco Zonca
Located in Geneve, CH
Levante Sofa by Francesco Zonca Numbered series signed Dimensions: D 85 x W 230 x H 71.5 cm
Fabric, Foam, Wood
$22,232 / item
Lapis Sofa by Amura Lab
Located in Geneve, CH
Lapis Sofa by Amura Lab Dimensions: W 278 x D 106 x H 69 cm Materials: FRAME: solid wood and
Foam, Wood
Postmodern Italian Sectional Sofa in Blue and Off-White Dots Upholstery
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Modular sofa, fabric, brushed metal, Italy, 1970s A postmodern design of Italian origin with an
Metal
$1,439Sale Price|20% Off
VIntage velvet sofa by Saporiti Italia, 1980s
By Saporiti
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Vintage velvet two seater sofa by Saporiti italia. Very comfy two seater sofa, which has a cool
Velvet
Early “Bocca” Sofa by Studio65
By Gufram Furniture
Located in Chicago, IL
for Gufram c. 1970s, fully restored with original importer’s tag
Fabric
$4,976 / item
Quiete Sofa by Dale Italia
Located in Geneve, CH
Quiete Sofa by Dale Italia Dimensions: D 85 x W 130 x H 77 cm. Materials: Walnut and upholstery
Upholstery, Walnut
$16,452 / item
Arizona 5000 Sofa by Redeco
Located in Geneve, CH
Arizona 5000 Sofa by Redeco Dimensions: W 290 x D 105 x H 79 cm Materials: Wooden structure padded
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
$17,747 / item
Byron 5010 Sofa by Redeco
Located in Geneve, CH
Byron 5010 Sofa by Redeco Dimensions: W 260 x D 101 x H 73 cm Materials: Wooden structure padded
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
$45,665 / item
Byron 5012 Sofa by Redeco
Located in Geneve, CH
Byron 5012 Sofa by Redeco Dimensions: W 465/289/174 x D 101 x H 73 cm Materials: Wooden structure
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
$45,041 / item
Arizona 5004 Sofa by Redeco
Located in Geneve, CH
Arizona 5004 Sofa by Redeco Dimensions: W 444/284/160 x D 105 x H 79 cm Materials: Wooden structure
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
$26,286 / item
Caravan Sofa by De Castelli
Located in Geneve, CH
Caravan Sofa by De Castelli Dimensions: W 160 x D 85 x H 70 cm Materials: Brushed Copper, Anica
Copper
$33,241 / item
Caravan Sofa by De Castelli
Located in Geneve, CH
Caravan Sofa by De Castelli Dimensions: W 240 x D 85 x H 70 cm Materials: Brushed Copper, Anica
Copper
$26,597 / item
Loom Sofa by De Castelli
Located in Geneve, CH
Loom Sofa by De Castelli Dimensions: W 228 x D 106 x H 74 cm Materials: Orbitale DeLabré Brass
Brass
$7,386 / item
Wood Labirint Sofa by Andrea Giomi
Located in Geneve, CH
Wood Labirint sofa by Andrea Giomi Dimensions: D 80 x W 60 x H 84 cm Materials: painted wood
Wood
$36,479 / item
Leather Giorgio Sofa by Amura Lab
Located in Geneve, CH
Leather Giorgio Sofa by Amura Lab Dimensions: W 280 x D 96 x H 74 cm Materials: STRUCTURE: Metal
Metal
Giorgetti “Maharaja” Settee by Antonello Mosca, Italian Modern
By Giorgetti S.p.A.
Located in Los Angeles, CA
collectors of iconic Italian modern design, and an elegant, timeless addition for interior designers seeking
Fabric, Wood
Corbeille Leather Sofa by Francesco Binfare for Edra
By Francesco Binfaré, Edra
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A post modern "Corbeille" Sofa by Francesco Binfare for Edra. Eight leather cushions are are held
Metal
1990s Salotti Post Modern Two Toned Black Graphite Leather 3 Pieces Sectional
By Nicoletti Salotti
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
and graphite leather three pieces sectional sofa. The ultra rare floating style sectional exudes an
Leather, Wood
$15,505 / item
Lambert 3-Seater Sofa by Somaschini
Located in Geneve, CH
Lambert 3-Seater Sofa by Somaschini Dimensions: W 290 x D 103 x H 63 cm Materials: Solid wood and
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
$15,505 / item
Lambert 3-Seater Sofa by Somaschini
Located in Geneve, CH
Lambert 3-Seater Sofa by Somaschini Dimensions: W 290 x D 103 x H 63 cm Materials: Solid wood and
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
$19,534 / item
Morrison 3-Seater Sofa by Somaschini
Located in Geneve, CH
Morrison 3-Seater Sofa by Somaschini Dimensions: W 290 x D 109 x H 55 cm Materials: Solid wood and
Fabric, Upholstery, Plywood
Cannareggio Sofa by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina
By Cassina, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1980s. Italy. Matching ottoman available. Reupholstered in orange/grey felt wool. Very rare
Wool
Large Gaetano Pesce for Cassina 'Cannaregio' Modular Sofa
By Cassina, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gaetano Pesce for Cassina, sofa, model ‘Cannaregio’, multicolored upholstery, Italy, 1987 Large
Fabric
$4,916 / item
Lighted RAP Sofa by Karim Rashid
Located in Geneve, CH
Lighted RAP Sofa by Karim Rashid Dimensions: D 80 x W 170 x H 75 cm. Seat Height: 36 cm. Materials
Other
$24,199 / item
Davis Leather Sofa Composition by Amura Lab
Located in Geneve, CH
Davis Leather Sofa Composition by Amura Lab Dimensions: W 340 x D 100 x H 67 cm Materials: FRAME
Foam, Wood
$34,968 / item
Tau Leather Sofa Composition by Amura Lab
Located in Geneve, CH
Tau Leather Sofa Composition by Amura Lab Dimensions: W 406 x D 90 x H 75 cm Materials: FRAME
Foam, Wood
$42,247 / item
Tau Leather Sofa Composition by Amura Lab
Located in Geneve, CH
Tau Leather Sofa Composition by Amura Lab Dimensions: W 551 x D 90 x H 75 cm Materials: FRAME
Foam, Wood
$2,518 / item
Amélie Duetto Sofa by Italo Pertichini
Located in Geneve, CH
Amélie Duetto Sofa by Italo Pertichini Dimensions: D 59 x W 120 x H 87 cm. Materials: Polyethylene
Other
$2,518 / item
Amélie Duetto Sofa by Italo Pertichini
Located in Geneve, CH
Amélie Duetto Sofa by Italo Pertichini Dimensions: D 59 x W 120 x H 87 cm. Materials: Polyethylene
Other
$35,867 / item
Fabric Palmo Sofa Composition by Amura Lab
Located in Geneve, CH
Fabric Palmo Sofa Composition by Amura Lab Dimensions: W 417 x D 118 x H 80 cm Materials: FRAME
Foam, Poplar
$62,573 / item
Leather Palmo Sofa Composition by Amura Lab
Located in Geneve, CH
Leather Palmo Sofa Composition by Amura Lab Dimensions: W 417 x D 176 x H 80 cm Materials: FRAME
Foam, Poplar
$27,005 / item
Fabric Panis Sofa Composition by Amura Lab
Located in Geneve, CH
Fabric Panis Sofa Composition by Amura Lab Dimensions: W 389 x D 147 x H 70 cm Materials: FRAME
Foam, Wood
$5,804 / item
Liquid Steel Labirint Sofa by Andrea Giomi
Located in Geneve, CH
Liquid Steel Labirint sofa by Andrea Giomi Dimensions: D 80 x W 60 x H 84 cm Materials: liquid
Steel
Reef Sofa by Piero Lissoni for Cassina
By Piero Lissoni, Cassina
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1990s. Italy. Yellow alcantara fabric with metal base. One side turns into backrest.
Metal
$7,386 / item
Wood Labirint Free Sofa by Andrea Giomi
Located in Geneve, CH
Wood Labirint Free Sofa by Andrea Giomi. Dimensions: D 80 x W 60 x H 84 cm. Materials: Various
Wood
$25,374 / item
Lapis Fabric Sofa Composition by Amura Lab
Located in Geneve, CH
Lapis Fabric Sofa Composition by Amura Lab Dimensions: W 264 x D 180 x H 70 cm Materials: FRAME
Foam, Wood
$12,567 / item
Fabric Frank Sofa Bed by Amura Lab
Located in Geneve, CH
Fabric Frank Sofa Bed by Amura Lab Dimensions: W 247 x D 95 x H 80 cm Materials: FRAME: solid wood
Metal
Postmodern design was a short-lived movement that manifested itself chiefly in Italy and the United States in the early 1980s. The characteristics of vintage postmodern furniture and other postmodern objects and decor for the home included loud-patterned, usually plastic surfaces; strange proportions, vibrant colors and weird angles; and a vague-at-best relationship between form and function.
ORIGINS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
VINTAGE POSTMODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
Critics derided postmodern design as a grandstanding bid for attention and nothing of consequence. Decades later, the fact that postmodernism still has the power to provoke thoughts, along with other reactions, proves they were not entirely correct.
Postmodern design began as an architectural critique. Starting in the 1960s, a small cadre of mainly American architects began to argue that modernism, once high-minded and even noble in its goals, had become stale, stagnant and blandly corporate. Later, in Milan, a cohort of creators led by Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini — a onetime mentor to Sottsass and a key figure in the Italian Radical movement — brought the discussion to bear on design.
Sottsass, an industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, gathered a core group of young designers into a collective in 1980 they called Memphis. Members of the Memphis Group, which would come to include Martine Bedin, Michael Graves, Marco Zanini, Shiro Kuramata, Michele de Lucchi and Matteo Thun, saw design as a means of communication, and they wanted it to shout. That it did: The first Memphis collection appeared in 1981 in Milan and broke all the modernist taboos, embracing irony, kitsch, wild ornamentation and bad taste.
Memphis works remain icons of postmodernism: the Sottsass Casablanca bookcase, with its leopard-print plastic veneer; de Lucchi’s First chair, which has been described as having the look of an electronics component; Martine Bedin’s Super lamp: a pull-toy puppy on a power-cord leash. Even though it preceded the Memphis Group’s formal launch, Sottsass’s iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell with radical pops of pink neon — proves striking in any space and embodies many of the collective’s postmodern ideals.
After the initial Memphis show caused an uproar, the postmodern movement within furniture and interior design quickly took off in America. (Memphis fell out of fashion when the Reagan era gave way to cool 1990’s minimalism.) The architect Robert Venturi had by then already begun a series of plywood chairs for Knoll Inc., with beefy, exaggerated silhouettes of traditional styles such as Queen Anne and Chippendale. In 1982, the new firm Swid Powell enlisted a group of top American architects, including Frank Gehry, Richard Meier, Stanley Tigerman and Venturi to create postmodern tableware in silver, ceramic and glass.
On 1stDibs, the vintage postmodern furniture collection includes chairs, coffee tables, sofas, decorative objects, table lamps and more.
With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.
Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.
Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.
The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.
Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.
With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.
Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.
No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.