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80s Post Modern Sculpture Chair Ice Metal
80s Post Modern Sculpture Chair Ice Metal

80s Post Modern Sculpture Chair Ice Metal

By LAAB Milano

Located in monza, Monza and Brianza

. Ice is not just a chair but also a sculpture, a statement of the 80s, when the technique were mixed

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Iron

Post Modern Metal Dining Chairs, 1990s
Post Modern Metal Dining Chairs, 1990s

Post Modern Metal Dining Chairs, 1990s

Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest

Unique design dining chairs with a nicely designed metal frame and blue imitaion leather seats

Category

1990s Belgian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Italian Post Modern Black Metal and Plastic Chairs, 1980s
Italian Post Modern Black Metal and Plastic Chairs, 1980s

Italian Post Modern Black Metal and Plastic Chairs, 1980s

Located in MIlano, IT

Italian post modern black metal and plastic chairs, 1980s Chair with black metal structure with

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post Modern French Metal Resin Armchairs
Post Modern French Metal Resin Armchairs

Post Modern French Metal Resin Armchairs

$823Sale Price / set|20% Off

Post Modern French Metal Resin Armchairs

Located in Marseille, FR

Pair of post-modern chairs in metal and resin, French production, circa 1980. This pair of

Category

Vintage 1980s French Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Sculptural Post Modern Chairs, France 1980s
Sculptural Post Modern Chairs, France 1980s

Sculptural Post Modern Chairs, France 1980s

Located in Rotterdam, ZH

Sculptural Post Modern chairs, France 1980s. The chairs are constructed out of a black lacquered

Category

Vintage 1980s French Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

1990s Post-Modern Cube Wire Lounge Chairs, Metal, Geometric Design
1990s Post-Modern Cube Wire Lounge Chairs, Metal, Geometric Design

1990s Post-Modern Cube Wire Lounge Chairs, Metal, Geometric Design

Located in Round Top, TX

A pair of metal wire lounge chairs. Cube forms with deep seats and extremely comfortable ergonomics

Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post modern dining chairs, 1980s
Post modern dining chairs, 1980s

Post modern dining chairs, 1980s

Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest

Post modern design dining chairs by Vepa, Netherlands. They feature a black metal frame and red

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post-Modern Danish Leather Lounge Chair
Post-Modern Danish Leather Lounge Chair

Post-Modern Danish Leather Lounge Chair

Located in Houston, TX

Post-modern Danish lounge chair with ottoman. Period of manufacturing is 1970/1980. This chair is

Category

Vintage 1970s Danish Post-Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Metal

1980s Post-Modern Memphis Style Chairs, 3 Pairs Available
1980s Post-Modern Memphis Style Chairs, 3 Pairs Available

1980s Post-Modern Memphis Style Chairs, 3 Pairs Available

By Memphis Group

Located in Miami, FL

Post-Modern Memphis Style accent chairs with bent-wood tops and metal bases. The pair has been

Category

Vintage 1980s Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post modern plywood dining chairs, 1970s
Post modern plywood dining chairs, 1970s

Post modern plywood dining chairs, 1970s

Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest

Vintage plywood dining chairs with a black metal tubular frame. Cool post modern design. 1970s

Category

Vintage 1970s Dutch Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post modern Anna Anselmi for Bieffeplast chair white metal rubber tubular frame
Post modern Anna Anselmi for Bieffeplast chair white metal rubber tubular frame

Post modern Anna Anselmi for Bieffeplast chair white metal rubber tubular frame

By Bieffeplast, Anna Anselmi, Memphis Milano

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Anna Anselmi for Bieffeplast with white enameled metal tubular frames with Black rubber backrest

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post modern Philippe Starck chair for Driade Italy , 1980
Post modern Philippe Starck chair for Driade Italy , 1980

Post modern Philippe Starck chair for Driade Italy , 1980

By Philippe Starck

Located in Delft, NL

Dimensions: 47.5cm Width , 55cm Depth, 79,5cm Height, 48cm Height seat Material: Leather. wood Color: Black , Beige

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

A Set of 4 MEMPHIS POST-MODERN CHAIRS, Italy 1980
A Set of 4 MEMPHIS POST-MODERN CHAIRS, Italy 1980

A Set of 4 MEMPHIS POST-MODERN CHAIRS, Italy 1980

By Willy Rizzo

Located in PARIS, FR

A set of 4 Post-Modernist chairs, Memphis, Bauhaus, metal structures with square section and

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Elegant Gilt Metal Lounge Chair Style of Garouste Bonetti Post Modern Art Deco
Elegant Gilt Metal Lounge Chair Style of Garouste Bonetti Post Modern Art Deco

Elegant Gilt Metal Lounge Chair Style of Garouste Bonetti Post Modern Art Deco

By Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti

Located in Atlanta, GA

Sculptural Gilt Metal Lounge Chair, in the style of Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti, unsigned

Category

Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post modern dining chairs, set of 6 - 1980s
Post modern dining chairs, set of 6 - 1980s

Post modern dining chairs, set of 6 - 1980s

Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest

Set of 6 post modern white lacquered wooden dining chairs with grey metal legs. Fantastic design

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post modern chair 80s Memphis movement, Ettore Sottsass spirit
Post modern chair 80s Memphis movement, Ettore Sottsass spirit

Post modern chair 80s Memphis movement, Ettore Sottsass spirit

By Philippe Starck, Memphis Milano, Pierre Sala, Ettore Sottsass

Located in Paris, FR

Post modern chair 80s Memphis movement, spirit of Ettore Sottsass, Starck, Ettore Sottsass, Pierre

Category

Vintage 1980s French Chairs

Materials

Metal

Roche Bobois Leather Swivel Club Lounge Chair Post Modern
Roche Bobois Leather Swivel Club Lounge Chair Post Modern

Roche Bobois Leather Swivel Club Lounge Chair Post Modern

By Roche Bobois

Located in Forest Grove, PA

A late 20th Century Roche Bobois swivel leather lounge chair. Beautiful, comfortable and incredibly

Category

1990s French Post-Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post modern Memphis dining chairs in bouclé, 1980s
Post modern Memphis dining chairs in bouclé, 1980s

Post modern Memphis dining chairs in bouclé, 1980s

Located in Zaandam, NL

Gorgeous set of 6 memphis dining chairs in turquoise with white bouclé upholstery on metal wire

Category

Vintage 1980s Dutch Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Set of 4 Post Modern Chairs Model Vienna by Rodney Kinsman for Bieffeplast
Set of 4 Post Modern Chairs Model Vienna by Rodney Kinsman for Bieffeplast

Set of 4 Post Modern Chairs Model Vienna by Rodney Kinsman for Bieffeplast

By Rodney Kinsman

Located in Roma, IT

A set of dining, desk or office chairs, in short, perfect for any environment that needs a bit of

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post modern wooden dining chairs, 1980s - set of 10
Post modern wooden dining chairs, 1980s - set of 10

Post modern wooden dining chairs, 1980s - set of 10

Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest

Vintage design dining chairs with black metal frames and black wooden backrests. Assymetric

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post Modern Folding Chair by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea, 1980’s
Post Modern Folding Chair by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea, 1980’s

Post Modern Folding Chair by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea, 1980’s

By Niels Gammelgaard

Located in Delft, NL

Post modern folding chair by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea, 1980’s.

Category

Vintage 1980s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Percival Lafer Post Modern Brazilian Black Leather Reclining Pony Lounge Chair
Percival Lafer Post Modern Brazilian Black Leather Reclining Pony Lounge Chair

Percival Lafer Post Modern Brazilian Black Leather Reclining Pony Lounge Chair

By Percival Lafer, Lafer

Located in Troy, MI

innovative design with relaxed leather cushions and metal front T leg support Reclines organically with a

Category

Vintage 1980s Brazilian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Metal

Vintage Brushed Metal Ribbon Chair
Vintage Brushed Metal Ribbon Chair

Vintage Brushed Metal Ribbon Chair

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Vintage Hand Crafted Post-Modern Ribbon Chair Brushed Metal Texture Throughout with Smooth Glossy

Category

Vintage 1980s Unknown Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal, Steel

Set of 8 Post Modern Multi-Colored Memphis Style Chairs
Set of 8 Post Modern Multi-Colored Memphis Style Chairs

Set of 8 Post Modern Multi-Colored Memphis Style Chairs

Located in Queens, NY

Set of 8 American Memphis-style (early 90s) metal framed side chairs with multicolored upholstered

Category

20th Century Unknown Post-Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post-Modern Italian Pair of Lounge Chairs in Chrome and Beige Fabric
Post-Modern Italian Pair of Lounge Chairs in Chrome and Beige Fabric

Post-Modern Italian Pair of Lounge Chairs in Chrome and Beige Fabric

Located in Waalwijk, NL

Pair of lounge chairs, chrome-plated metal, fabric, Italy, 1970s These captivating Italian lounge

Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Tubular metal chair, postmodern design
Tubular metal chair, postmodern design

Tubular metal chair, postmodern design

Located in San Francisco, US

lines and unique aesthetic that defines the PoMo design era. The chair features a sleek black metal

Category

Late 20th Century Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Peregalli and Calatroni Post Modern Armchair, circa 1985, Italy
Peregalli and Calatroni Post Modern Armchair, circa 1985, Italy

Peregalli and Calatroni Post Modern Armchair, circa 1985, Italy

By Maurizio Peregalli

Located in Brussels, BE

Post-modern Maurizio Peregalli and Sergio Calatroni chair, edited by Zeus circa 1985, Italy

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

A Post-Modern SPACE-AGE Desk CHAIR by WELLE, Germany 1970
A Post-Modern SPACE-AGE Desk CHAIR by WELLE, Germany 1970

A Post-Modern SPACE-AGE Desk CHAIR by WELLE, Germany 1970

Located in PARIS, FR

A spectacular adjustable, telescopic and wheeled office chair, Pop, Post-Modernist, Memphis, red

Category

Vintage 1970s French Space Age Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post modern dining chairs, 1980s set of 4
Post modern dining chairs, 1980s set of 4

Post modern dining chairs, 1980s set of 4

Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest

Post modern dining chairs with a striking design consisting of a black lacquered metal frame fabric

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post-Modern Danish Armchairs, 1980s
Post-Modern Danish Armchairs, 1980s

Post-Modern Danish Armchairs, 1980s

$880Sale Price / item|20% Off

Post-Modern Danish Armchairs, 1980s

Located in Antwerp, BE

; Italian Design; Danish Design; Post-modern dining chairs, a perfect blend of elegance and contemporary

Category

Vintage 1980s Danish Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Modern Industrial Red Leather Metal 'H' Chair
Modern Industrial Red Leather Metal 'H' Chair

Modern Industrial Red Leather Metal 'H' Chair

By Argosy Designs

Located in Treadwell, NY

Collection II: H Chair Constructed from bold steel plates, this limited edition chair provides a

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Club Chairs

Materials

Steel, Brass

Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal 'H' Chair
Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal 'H' Chair

Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal 'H' Chair

By Argosy Designs

Located in Treadwell, NY

Collection II: H Chair Constructed from bold steel plates, this limited edition chair provides a

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Club Chairs

Materials

Steel, Brass

Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal Club Chair
Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal Club Chair

Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal Club Chair

By Argosy Designs

Located in Treadwell, NY

Collection I: Plate chair Constructed from bold steel plates and secured by bronze wedges, the

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Club Chairs

Materials

Bronze, Steel

Pair of Reflex "Petalo" Post-Modern Italian Office Chairs
Pair of Reflex "Petalo" Post-Modern Italian Office Chairs

Pair of Reflex "Petalo" Post-Modern Italian Office Chairs

By Reflex

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Terrifically funky two-tone office chairs designed by Tulczinsky for Italy's Relflex brand. With a

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Post-Modern Office Chairs and Desk...

Materials

Metal

Post Modern Pull Up Side Chair by Thayer Coggin in Original Upholstery
Post Modern Pull Up Side Chair by Thayer Coggin in Original Upholstery

Post Modern Pull Up Side Chair by Thayer Coggin in Original Upholstery

By Thayer Coggin

Located in Chicago, IL

Vintage Mid Century Modern Thayer Coggin Pull Up Side Chair The MCM Pull Up Chair by Thayer

Category

Late 20th Century Unknown Post-Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post Modern Chrome and Leather Counter Stool 'Design Institute'
Post Modern Chrome and Leather Counter Stool 'Design Institute'

Post Modern Chrome and Leather Counter Stool 'Design Institute'

By Design Institute America

Located in Los Angeles, CA

This Design Institute of America piece features a unique geometric onyx colored metal frame. Has a

Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal, Nickel

Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal 'H' Chair 'Wide'
Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal 'H' Chair 'Wide'

Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal 'H' Chair 'Wide'

By Argosy Designs

Located in Treadwell, NY

Collection II: H Chair Constructed from bold steel plates, this limited edition chair provides a

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Corner Chairs

Materials

Steel, Brass

Sculptural 80s Postmodern Dutch Accent Chair, Metal, Wood-- One Chair
Sculptural 80s Postmodern Dutch Accent Chair, Metal, Wood-- One Chair

Sculptural 80s Postmodern Dutch Accent Chair, Metal, Wood-- One Chair

Located in Basel, BS

Stunning 1980s Dutch sculptural accent chair. Two available, sold individually. Fast Shipping

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal Club Chair (DISPLAY MODEL)
Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal Club Chair (DISPLAY MODEL)

Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal Club Chair (DISPLAY MODEL)

By Erik Johnson, Argosy Designs

Located in Treadwell, NY

Collection I: Plate chair Constructed from bold steel plates and secured by bronze wedges, the

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Club Chairs

Materials

Bronze, Steel

Set of 4 Post modern folding chairs by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea , 1980’s
Set of 4 Post modern folding chairs by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea , 1980’s

Set of 4 Post modern folding chairs by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea , 1980’s

By Niels Gammelgaard

Located in Delft, NL

Dimensions: 40,5cmW, 45cmD, 43cm H seat, 86cm H total Period: 1980’s Condition: Good , Metal has

Category

Vintage 1980s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Post Modern Cantilever Swing Chairs by Herbert and Jutta Ohl for Rosenthal Linie
Post Modern Cantilever Swing Chairs by Herbert and Jutta Ohl for Rosenthal Linie

Post Modern Cantilever Swing Chairs by Herbert and Jutta Ohl for Rosenthal Linie

By Jutta and Herbert Ohl

Located in Lake Worth, FL

Rare set of 4 1980s Post-Modern Cantilever Swing Chairs. Designed in 1982 by Herbert and Jutta Ohl

Category

Vintage 1980s German Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Modern Industrial Red Leather Metal 'H' Chair (DISPLAY MODEL)
Modern Industrial Red Leather Metal 'H' Chair (DISPLAY MODEL)

Modern Industrial Red Leather Metal 'H' Chair (DISPLAY MODEL)

By Argosy Designs

Located in Treadwell, NY

Collection II: H Chair Constructed from bold steel plates, this limited edition chair provides a

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Club Chairs

Materials

Brass, Steel

Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal 'H' Chair (DISPLAY MODEL)
Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal 'H' Chair (DISPLAY MODEL)

Modern Industrial Green Leather Metal 'H' Chair (DISPLAY MODEL)

By Argosy Designs

Located in Treadwell, NY

Collection II: H Chair Constructed from bold steel plates, this limited edition chair provides a

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Club Chairs

Materials

Brass, Steel

Post Modern Style Ten Leather Burgundy Red Black Silver Dining Chairs 1980
Post Modern Style Ten Leather Burgundy Red Black Silver Dining Chairs 1980

Post Modern Style Ten Leather Burgundy Red Black Silver Dining Chairs 1980

Located in Vienna, AT

Post-modern style set of ten vintage dining chairs of chairs from beech, leather and metal in the

Category

Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Pair Curvy Leather Lounge Chairs Style of Gerard Van Den Berg Montis Post-Modern
Pair Curvy Leather Lounge Chairs Style of Gerard Van Den Berg Montis Post-Modern

Pair Curvy Leather Lounge Chairs Style of Gerard Van Den Berg Montis Post-Modern

By Gerard Van Den Berg

Located in Philadelphia, PA

discreed crhromed metal feet. These chairs closely resemble the iconic version made famous by Dutch

Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Set of 8 + 1 post modern Memphis style dining chairs, 1980s by Lübke
Set of 8 + 1 post modern Memphis style dining chairs, 1980s by Lübke

Set of 8 + 1 post modern Memphis style dining chairs, 1980s by Lübke

By Lübke

Located in Zaandam, NL

Wonderful set of 8 + 1 "Memphis" post modern dining chairs by Lübke, Germany 1980s in the rare

Category

Vintage 1980s German Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Rare Set Of Six Post Modern Era Style Design For Leisure Dining Chairs
Rare Set Of Six Post Modern Era Style Design For Leisure Dining Chairs

Rare Set Of Six Post Modern Era Style Design For Leisure Dining Chairs

By Designs for Leisure

Located in Bridgeport, CT

, but truly Luxe styling with a focus on comfort. This set of six Dining Chairs have a classic Post

Category

20th Century American Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Vintage Postmodern Swag Metal Chair
Vintage Postmodern Swag Metal Chair

Vintage Postmodern Swag Metal Chair

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

A fantastic vintage Boho side chair. A chic Postmodern design with swag details highlighted in gold

Category

Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Gold

Corky Chair by WM Metal Design
Corky Chair by WM Metal Design

Corky Chair by WM Metal Design

By William Mulas

Located in Geneve, CH

Corky Chair by WM Metal Design Dimensions: D 56 x W 53 x H 69 cm. Materials: Aluminum, cork. A

Category

2010s Italian Post-Modern Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

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Post Modern Metal Chair For Sale on 1stDibs

With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the post modern metal chair you’re looking for. Frequently made of metal, fabric and animal skin, every post modern metal chair was constructed with great care. There are 152 variations of the antique or vintage post modern metal chair you’re looking for, while we also have 2 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer post modern metal chair, there are earlier versions available from the 20th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 21st Century. When you’re browsing for the right post modern metal chair, those designed in Mid-Century Modern and Modern styles are of considerable interest. Many designers have produced at least one well-made post modern metal chair over the years, but those crafted by Mario Botta, Alias and Michele de Lucchi are often thought to be among the most beautiful.

How Much is a Post Modern Metal Chair?

The average selling price for a post modern metal chair at 1stDibs is $2,378, while they’re typically $250 on the low end and $26,088 for the highest priced.

A Close Look at Post-modern Furniture

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

  • Emerges during the 1960s; popularity explodes during the ’80s
  • A reaction to prevailing conventions of modernism by mainly American architects
  • Architect Robert Venturi critiques modern architecture in his Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966)
  • Theorist Charles Jencks, who championed architecture filled with allusions and cultural references, writes The Language of Post-Modern Architecture (1977)
  • Italian design collective the Memphis Group, also known as Memphis Milano, meets for the first time (1980) 
  • Memphis collective debuts more than 50 objects and furnishings at Salone del Milano (1981)
  • Interest in style declines, minimalism gains steam

CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Dizzying graphic patterns and an emphasis on loud, off-the-wall colors
  • Use of plastic and laminates, glass, metal and marble; lacquered and painted wood 
  • Unconventional proportions and abundant ornamentation
  • Playful nods to Art Deco and Pop art

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 Mendinia 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.

Finding the Right Seating for You

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.