Set of 2 Color My World Chair by Markus Friedrich Staab
By Markus Friedrich Staab
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Color My World Chair by Markus Friedrich Staab One of a Kind Dimensions: D 53 x W 53 x H 82 cm. Materials: Wood, lacquer, paint, leather. These triangle chairs were re-shap...
Wood, Lacquer, Paint, Leather
Postmodern Japanese EDO Chair by Kisho Kurokawa for PPM Corporation, 1980s
By Kisho Kurokawa
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
This chair from the EDO series was designed by the Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa in the 1980s and was manufactured by PPM Corporation, Tokyo. The design concept of the EDO serie...
Leather, Wood
$2,323Sale Price / set|20% Off
"Rennie" Set of Chairs by Kazuhide Takahama for Gavina, Kazuki Italy 1980
By Kazuhide Takahama
Located in Argelato, BO
Kazuhide Takahama, (1930-2010), Set of 6 dining chairs model "Rennie", Italy 1970 circa High backrest and wide seat upholstered in green fabric, the legs forming shelves in glossy bl...
Fabric, Wood
Modern Vintage Ten Black Beech Yellow Faux Leather Dining Chairs 1980s Italy
Located in Vienna, AT
Modern vintage ten dining chairs or armchairs from beech and faux leather in black and yellow color Italy 1980s. A beautiful set of 10 dining chairs with armrests a simple and bold c...
Faux Leather, Beech
Gio Ponti Gabriella Folding Lounge Chair in Black Vynil by Pallucco 1991 Italy
By Gio Ponti, Pallucco
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Gabriella folding lounge chair with a steel frame, seat, and back upholstered in black vinyl or Naugahyde. This iconic chair was designed by the Italian designer Gio Ponti and rele...
Steel
Pair of Post Modern Bentwood Allmilmö Wood Arm Dining Chairs in white Lacquer
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of Post Modern Bentwood Allmilmö bentwood Arm Dining Chairs in white Lacquer.
Hardwood, Lacquer
Set of Six P08 Folding Chairs by Justus Kolberg for Tecno, Italy
By Kolberg Justus, Tecno
Located in Boven Leeuwen, NL
Tecno P08 by Justus Kolberg in brushed stainless steel and black nylon Name: P08 folding chair designer: Justus Kolberg manufacturer: Tecno, Italy design year: 1991 seat and bac...
Stainless Steel
Romy Pull Up 06 Leather Upholstery And Matte Black Frame Chair by Casa Casati
Located in Geneve, CH
Romy Pull Up 06 Leather Upholstery And Matte Black Frame Chair by Casa Casati Dimensions: D 58 x W 65 x H 72 cm. Materials: Ash wood, lacquer, polyurethane, polyester fibre, leather...
Other
$16,628 / item
Magno Eucalyptus Lounge Chair by Palena Furniture
Located in Geneve, CH
Magno Eucalyptus Lounge Chair by Palena Furniture Dimensions: W 106.68 x D 129.54 x H 71.12 x Seat H 41.91 cm Materials: Eucalyptus, Black Lacquer, Plush Velvet Upholstery Available...
Other
Meilleur Nom Polished Bronze Lounge Chair by Palena Furniture
Located in Geneve, CH
Meilleur Nom Polished Bronze Lounge Chair by Palena Furniture Dimensions: W 120.65 x D 104.14 x H 77.47 x Seat H 43.18 cm Materials: Polished Bronze, Black Lacquer, Plush Velvet Upho...
Other, Bronze
$2,880Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair Black Leather Flight High Chairs by Takeshita Okamura & Erik Marquardsen
By Takashi Okamura and Erik Marquardsen
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of Flight High Chairs by Takeshita Okamura & Erik Marquardsen for Nelo of Sweden. All Black leather chairs with black lacquer wood frames. Good vintage condition. Great desi...
Leather, Bentwood, Lacquer
$3,277Sale Price|40% Off
Charles Hollis Jones Postmodern Memphis Inspired Lounge Chair
By Memphis Group
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Memphis-inspired asymmetric sculptural lounge chair with unique tri-color design and acrylic legs designed by Charles Hollis Jones. About Charles Hollis Jones: Born in Bloomingto...
Leather, Wood
Pair of Magia Lounge Chairs by Bacci and Mazzoni for Giovannetti, Italy, 1980s
By Mazzoni, Bacci
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Designed by Bacci and Mazzoni for Giovannetti in the 1980s, this pair of Magia lounge chairs captures the playful geometry of Italian postmodernism. The tubular forms are upholstered...
Upholstery, Lacquer
$7,400 / set
Set of 8 Vladimir Kagan Postmodern Dining Chairs
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Dallas, TX
This striking set of eight postmodern dining chairs by Vladimir Kagan captures the designer’s signature balance of fluid form, comfort, and architectural presence. Crafted with sculp...
Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer
Pascal Mourgue Contrasté Chair, Beech & Upholstery, France 1982
By Pascal Mourgue
Located in Portland, OR
Pascal Mourgue’s Contrasté chair plays with simplicity of form using circle and square. Solid beech frame is lacquered a deep green and this example has been reupholstered in Dedar M...
Upholstery, Beech, Lacquer
$2,880Sale Price|20% Off
Pair Nelo Wave Chairs by Takeshita Okamura & Erik Marquardsen for Nelo Sweden
By Takashi Okamura and Erik Marquardsen
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of Nelo Wave Chairs by Takeshita Okamura & Erik Marquardsen for Nelo of Sweden. Gray and black patina leather chairs with black lacquer wood frames. Good vintage condition. Grea...
Leather, Bentwood, Lacquer
$3,200 / set
Pietro Costantini Set of Four Side Chairs
By Pietro Costantini
Located in Highland, IN
These stylish side chairs by Pietro Costantini have shapely black frames and seats upholstered in woven leather.
Leather, Wood
$3,960Sale Price / set|42% Off
Set of 8 Ginotta Dining Chairs by Enrico Franzolini Dining Chairs for Knoll. Cir
By Enrico Franzolini, Knoll
Located in Miami, FL
Set of 8 Postmodern Ginotta Dining Chairs by Enrico Franzolini Dining Chairs for Knoll. Circa 1980s In 1989 Knoll introduced the Franzolini chair, a thoroughly modern interpretation ...
Steel, Chrome
$4,013 / item
Wonder Dining Chair by Memoir Essence
Located in Geneve, CH
Wonder Dining Chair by Memoir Essence Dimensions: D 56 x W 55 x H 85 cm. Materials: High gloss black lacquered finish and Jacquard fabric MTP SG. Also available in client's fabric. ...
Lacquer, Fabric
Postmodern Wire Lounge Chair Armchair Sälen, Knut & Marianne Hagberg, Ikea, 1982
By K and M Hagberg, IKEA
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful wire loungechair with armrests from the 1980s. This is the model „Sälen“, designed in 1982 by Knut & Marianne Hagberg for Ikea Sweden. The chair has been produced for on...
Metal, Steel
$1,650 / item
Aldo Rossi 'Teatro' Chairs for Molteni, Italy c 1983
By Molteni & C, Aldo Rossi
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Post-Modern 'Teatro' side chairs in solid beech wood designed by architect Aldo Rossi and Luca Meda and manufactured by Italian furniture company Molteni circa 1980s.
Beech, Wood, Leather
$10,550 / item
Rocker 01 Rocking Chair by Secondome Edizioni
Located in Geneve, CH
Rocker 01 Rocking Chair by Secondome Edizioni Limited Edition Of 12 Pieces. Designer: Lanzavecchia + WAI. Dimensions: D 40 x W 100 x H 75 cm. Materials: Lacquered iron and leather. ...
Iron
$15,361 / item
Rocker 02 Rocking Chair by Secondome Edizioni
Located in Geneve, CH
Rocker 02 Rocking Chair by Secondome Edizioni Limited Edition Of 12 Pieces. Designer: Lanzavecchia + WAI. Dimensions: D 40 x W 200 x H 75 cm. Materials: Lacquered iron and leather. ...
Iron
$4,136 / item
Flame Dining Chair by Memoir Essence
Located in Geneve, CH
Flame Dining Chair by Memoir Essence Dimensions: D 60 x W 55 x H 95 cm. Materials: Velvet TT, satin STN and lacquer. Also available in client's fabric. Please contact us. Flame din...
Satin, Upholstery, Velvet, Lacquer
$2,974 / item
Noir II Dining Chair by Memoir Essence
Located in Geneve, CH
Noir II Dining Chair by Memoir Essence Dimensions: D 60 x W 55 x H 95 cm. Materials: High gloss black lacquered finish, velvet fabric SCSS 04 and satin fabric AB G066/05. Also avail...
Satin, Upholstery, Velvet, Lacquer
$3,102 / item
Noir I Dining Chair by Memoir Essence
Located in Geneve, CH
Noir I Dining Chair by Memoir Essence Dimensions: D 60 x W 55 x H 95 cm. Materials: High gloss black lacquered finish, velvet fabric SCSS 04 and satin fabric AB G066/05. Also availa...
Satin, Upholstery, Velvet, Lacquer
Vintage dining chairs by Pietro costantini, 1980s, set of 6
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Beautiful 'fan' chairs designed by Pietro Costantini. Lacquered wooden frames with faux leather black seats. Good condition with normal age related wear. 1980s - Italy Dimensions...
Leather, Lacquer
Dr Glob Chairs Philippe Starck Grey Kartell, Italy, 1990
By Philippe Starck, Kartell
Located in Vienna, AT
Kartell Dr. Glob set of four grey modern chairs designed by Philippe Starck. The Dr. Glob chair was designed by the acclaimed designer Philippe Starck for Kartell in Italy. Phillipe...
Steel
Italian Set of Four Dining Chairs in Wood and Metal
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Set of four dining chairs, black lacquered wood, wood, Italy, 1970s Set of four dining chairs with interesting features, made in Italy in the 1970s. This design is unusual and speci...
Metal
Vintage dining chairs by Pietro costantini, 1980s, set of 6
By Pietro Costantini
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Very chic italian high back dining chairs designed by Pietro Costantini. Elegant curved lacquered wood backrests and upholstered with black leather. Stamped under thea seat with '...
Leather, Lacquer
Rocking Chair Voido By Ron Arad for Magis, Italy 2006
By Ron Arad
Located in Brasília, BR
The Voido Rocking Chair was designed by Ron Arad for the manufacturer Magis in 2006. This piece of contemporary design is a true sculpture due to its personality and timeless style.I...
Plastic, Lacquer
Vintage dining chairs by Pietro costantini, 1980s, set of 6
By Costantini
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Very chic italian high back dining chairs designed by Pietro Costantini. Elegant curved chairs upholstered with green leather. Two of the chairs have armrests. Labelled under the...
Leather, Faux Leather, Lacquer
Set of modernist ''Bastille'' chairs by Dutch Architect Piet Blom, 1960s
By Piet Blom
Located in EVERDINGEN, NL
A set of "Bastille Chairs" by Dutch architect Piet Blom (1934 - 1999). The design of these is well known in the Netherlands and recognized as a Dutch design icon. It is possible to p...
Wood
Pair Sheraton Chairs by Robert Venturi for Knoll. 1986, Signed
By Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Knoll
Located in Kansas City, MO
Set of two Robert Ventura and Denise Scott Brown Sheraton Chairs for Knoll. Produced in 1986. Both examples are signed with the original Knoll labels.
Wood, Leather
Postmodern Pink Dining Chairs by Ettore Sottsass for Leitner, Italy, 1980s
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Antwerp, BE
Dining chairs featuring expressive burl veneer and a bold combination of pink and burgundy lacquer. With four available, each piece showcases the playful yet sophisticated aesthetic ...
Burl, Lacquer
GUBI Daumiller Side Chair Golden Pine by Rainer Daumiller
By Gubi, Rainer Daumiller
Located in New York, NY
The Daumiller Side Chair shares a design language with the iconic Daumiller Armchair - elegant yet robust, with a reassuringly solid form and a gracefully curved backrest. True to Ra...
Wood, Pine, Rush
Set of Four Dakota Jackson Crimped Velvet Maple Side Chairs
By Dakota Jackson
Located in Germantown, MD
Set of Four Dakota Jackson Crimped Velvet lacquered Maple side Chairs. Measures 22" in width, 26" in depth and stands 35" in height. Seat height is 18.5". Very good vintage conditi...
Upholstery, Velvet, Maple
Vintage dining chairs by Pietro costantini, 1980s, set of 6
By Costantini
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Very chic italian high back dining chairs designed by Pietro Costantini. Elegant curved chairs upholstered with green leather. Two of the chairs have armrests. Labelled under th...
Leather, Faux Leather, Lacquer
Postmodern Chairs Designed by Emanuelle Zenere for Cattelan, Italy 90s
By Cattelan Italia
Located in Lucija, SI
Pair of unique Italian Postmodern chairs designed by Emanuelle Zenere for Cattelan Italia I must have items for design collectors
Leather, Wood, Lacquer
$6,890Sale Price / set|50% Off
Caprille Dining Chair Set, Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, Black & Pink, 1980
By Cassina, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Cassina Caprile dining chair set by Gianfranco Frattini. Gorgeous original woven textile with shades of pink and peach. Lovely lacquered wood frame. Labeled. Gianfranco Frattini real...
Textile, Wood
GUBI Daumiller Side Chair Brown/Black by Rainer Daumiller
By Rainer Daumiller, Gubi
Located in New York, NY
The Daumiller Side Chair shares a design language with the iconic Daumiller Armchair - elegant yet robust, with a reassuringly solid form and a gracefully curved backrest. True to Ra...
Rush, Wood, Pine
Set of Eight Italian Postmodern Dining Chairs by Pietro Costantini for Ello
By Pietro Costantini, Ello Furniture
Located in Peabody, MA
A set of eight highback postmodern dining chairs by Pietro Costantini for Ello Furniture, made in Italy ca. late 1970s. Sculptural wooden frames in a rich mahogany finish, seats cove...
Upholstery, Wood
$1,120Sale Price / set|30% Off
Lella and Massimo Vignelli Handkerchief Chairs for Knoll, Set of Four
By Massimo and Lella Vignelli, Knoll
Located in Miami, FL
Black high-gloss lacquered Handkerchief chairs on black lacquered frames by Lella and Massimo Vignelli for Knoll. In 1968 Vignelli was contracted by Knoll to re-envision the corpo...
Steel
Sculptural cherry wood Armchair by A. Sibau, Italy, 1960s
By A. Sibau
Located in Vienna, AT
Striking sculptural armchair designed by A. Sibau in Italy during the 1960s. With its bold curves and distinctive silhouette, this piece embodies the expressive spirit of postmodern ...
Cherry
Set of Four 1980s Castelijn SLA Dining Chairs, Black Leather & Wood
By Castelijn, Gijs Bakker
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of Four postmodern dining chairs by Dutch manufacturer Castelijn, attributed to acclaimed designer Gijs Bakker, circa 1980s. These distinctive pieces showcase the harmonious blen...
Metal
Ettore Sottsass Greek Chairs One of Seven Grey Bieffeplast, Italy, 1980
By Bieffeplast, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Vienna, AT
One of Seven Ettore Sottsass Greek Chairs Grey Bieffeplast, Italy, 1980. Sold and priced per piece. Very rare light grey chairs made from lacquered tubular steel and plastic seat a...
Steel
$1,400Sale Price / set|30% Off
Ettore Sottsass “Mandarin” Black Eco Leather Dining Chairs for Knoll, a Pair
By Ettore Sottsass, Knoll
Located in Miami, FL
Memphis Postmodern Mandarin chairs rendered in black lacquered steel frame with black Naugahyde cushioned seats designed by Ettore Sottsass for Knoll.
Steel
Signed Pierre Sala Desk or Table
By Pierre Sala
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
A rare Post Modern Memphis Milano style table or desk designed by artist Pierre Sala circa 1980's. Large and functional notebook on solid wood legs. Paper can easily be replaced. S...
Wood, Lacquer
$2,400Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of Six Postmodern Costantini Ello Dining Chairs Made in Italy c 1970/80's
By Constantini, Ello Furniture
Located in New York, NY
Heroic set of Post Modern, Hollywood Regency school black lacquered dining chairs made in Italy by Pieto Costantini, imported by Ello, circa 1970-1980's.
Leather, Wood
Paire de fauteuils Pratfall par Philippe Starck, edition Aleph
By Philippe Starck
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Conçue en 1981 par le visionnaire Philippe Starck, la paire de fauteuils Pratfall incarne l'esthétique radicale et élégante du design français des années 80. Éditée par Aleph (divisi...
Steel
$2,974Sale Price / set|20% Off
Rennie Dining Chair Set by Kazuhide Takahama for Simon Gavina, Italy, 1980's
By Kazuhide Takahama
Located in Oud-Turnhout, VAN
Vintage Postmodern Design 'RENNIE' Dining Chair set of 8 by Kazuhide Takahama for Simon Gavina, made in Italy 1980's. Architectural design dining chairs in dark brown. The seat and b...
Faux Leather, Wood
ANNICK & SAMUEL CORIAT, set de 8 chaises, Artelano ed, France, c. 1987
Located in Paris, FR
Reference: ARTELANO has been a French publisher of high-end contemporary furniture since 1972. Constantly analyzing the market, anticipating changing trends over time, these are the...
Metal
$7,157Sale Price / set|30% Off
Set of 8 black lacquered "MED ACERBIS" chairs and rust-colored velvet Italy 1980s
By Giotto Stoppino, Acerbis
Located in Milano, Lombardia
The MED chair was made in 1983 by Giotto Stoppino and Lodovico Acerbis for Acerbis. It is characterized by its contrast between curves and linearity, such as the particular section o...
Velvet, Harewood
$1,036Sale Price|30% Off
Bruce Sienkowski "Eli Armchair" for Charlotte, USA 1991
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Miami, FL
Rare Eli armchair with matte black maple wood seat, back and arms attached to a red lacquered steel base. Designed by Bruce Sienkowski for Charlotte, 1991. The wood has been refi...
Steel
$13,800Sale Price / set|25% Off
Yrjö Kukkapuro Cloud Chair Set of 6, Sky Blue and Teal, Avarte Finland, 1984
By Yrjö Kukkapuro
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Yrjö Kukkapuro Cloud Chair Set of 6, Sky Blue and Teal, Avarte Finland, 1984.
Stainless Steel
$6,298 / item
Trasnfera Bench by Alina Rotzinger
Located in Geneve, CH
Trasnfera bench by Alina Rotzinger Materials: Phenolic birch plywood treated and lacquered with epoxy resin, epoxy resin spheres, steel metal base lacquered with epoxy resin. Dimen...
Steel
UP7 Foot by Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia
Located in PARIS, FR
Born in La Spezia in 1939 and trained as an architect at the University of Venice, Gaetano Pesce spent six decades dismantling the conventions of Italian design from his studios in V...
Foam, Lacquer
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.