A two-part cabinet in rare exotic woods with solid ebony inlays, Italy, 1990s
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
A large two-part cabinet in rare exotic woods with solid ebony inlays. This unique two-part sideboard, crafted by Bottega Costa in the 1990s, is a remarkable example of Ligurian cra...
Ebony, Fruitwood, Rosewood
Unique Rectangular Deep Blue Brass Cabinet with Two Doors by Christopher Boots
By Christopher Boots
Located in Geneve, CH
Curiosity Cabinet by Christopher Boots Unique Piece Dimensions: D 50 x W 97 x H 140 cm. Materials: Reclaimed oak, cast bronze, clear quartz, smoky quartz, lapis lazuli, pyrite, indus...
Lapis Lazuli, Quartz, Pyrite, Brass, Bronze
Half-moon Wall Polished Bronze Cabinet with Jade Green Stone by Pierre De Valck
Located in Geneve, CH
Bow cabinet with Malachite by Pierre De Valck. Dimensions: W 63 x D 30 x H 190 cm. Materials: Polished bronze with Malachite. Weight: 15 kg. Each piece is unique. Pierre De Va...
Stone, Malachite, Bronze
Half-moon Wall Polished Bronze Cabinet with Jade Green Stone by Pierre De Valck
Located in Geneve, CH
Bow cabinet with Malachite by Pierre De Valck. Dimensions: W 55 x D 34 x H 70 cm. Materials: Polished bronze with Malachite. Weight: 15 kg. Each piece is unique. Pierre De Val...
Stone, Malachite, Bronze
Giorgio I Oxblood Glossy Lacquer And Light Bronze Metal Cabinet by Casa Casati
Located in Geneve, CH
Giorgio I Oxblood Glossy Lacquer And Light Bronze Metal Cabinet by Casa Casati Dimensions: D 54 x W 90 x H 140 cm. Materials: Lacquer, MDF, brass, and metal. Available in differen...
Other, Metal, Brass
Loft Industrial Style Wood and Iron Cabinet by Lola Glamour
Located in Geneve, CH
Loft Industrial Style Wood and Iron Cabinet by Lola Glamour Dimensions: D 45 x W 147 x H 160 cm Materials: Wood, iron. The Loft wardrobe is inspired by the legendary industrial styl...
Iron
Rare Cabinet 'Isola d'Elba' by Aldo Rossi, Bruno Longoni Cantú, Solid Wood, 1980
By Cantu, Aldo Rossi
Located in Berlin, DE
This very rare and eccentric closet is made of solid wood, it has drawers and shelves and a coat rack. The door can be locked with a key. Brass finishing on top and foot. Manufacture...
Brass
$6,995 / item
Maple Path of Totality Bar Cabinet
By New Age Design Studio
Located in Portland, OR
Prototyped in the weeks leading up to a solar eclipse, this bar cabinet is an exploration of partially obscured light. The laser cut lattice work on the bypass doors is an interpreta...
Steel
$23,448 / item
Andree Bar Cabinet in Veneer and Leather by Madheke
Located in Geneve, CH
Andree Bar Cabinet in Veneer and Leather by Madheke. Dimensions: W 140 x D 60 x H 180 cm. Materials: Matte veneered body with intricate marquetry detailing, leather-faced storage she...
Leather, Glass, Wood
Wendell Castle “Samba” Cabinet for Icon Design Sculptural Ash Wood Storage Cabin
By Wendell Castle
Located in Miami, FL
A stunning example of American furniture, the Samba Cabinet by Wendell Castle for Icon Designs reflects Castle’s signature philosophy of treating furniture as sculpture. The piece fe...
Leather, Wood
$5,098Sale Price / set|20% Off
TORCELLO Series Display Cabinet Set by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Stildomus
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Stildomus
Located in Oud-Turnhout, VAN
Postmodern Italian Design TORCELLO Series Display Cabinet Set of 2 by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Stildomus. Made in Italy, 1980's period. Marked with a stamp inside one of the doors. Ve...
Metal
Paul McCobb for Directional Black Eight Drawer Chest with Brass Leg Posts
By Directional, Paul McCobb
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Paul McCobb for Directional #7025 black Chest of Drawers. Featuring newly restored and re-enameled rectangular black enameled eight drawer Chest, Dresser, detailed with reflective Br...
Brass
Ettore Sottsass Tempus Wall Cabinet in Wood by Poltronova 1960s
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
An elegant wall-mounted cabinet in veneered walnut with a white lacquered front and an inset round mirror. Above the mirror there is a barometer, while below it there is a drawer wit...
Metal
$3,746Sale Price|25% Off
Vintage Postmodern Marble & Glass Lighted Display Cabinet by Pulaski Furniture
By Pulaski Furniture Corporation
Located in Topeka, KS
Handsome vintage Art Deco Revival to Postmodern wood, marble, brass, mirror, & glass lighted display case by Pulaksi Furnishings. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that this is vi...
Marble, Brass
American Post-War Desk, White Painted Wood with Chrome X Base, 1950s
Located in Queens, NY
American Post-War Design white painted wood table desk with drawers and supported on 2 chrome "X" form bases. (Desk in need of full restoration) Metal frame has very light scratchin...
Wood
Agave Bar Cabinet in Veneer, Leather and Metal by Madheke
Located in Geneve, CH
Agave Bar Cabinet in Veneer, Leather and Metal by Madheke Dimensions: W 61 x D 56 x H 155 cm. Materials: Leather-finished body, veneered folding top, brass metal accents, high-gloss ...
Metal, Brass
Montez Bar Cabinet in Leather and Brushed Brass by Madheke
Located in Geneve, CH
Montez Bar Cabinet in Leather and Brushed Brass by Madheke. Dimensions: W 42 x D 42 x H 51 cm. Materials: Hand-finished leather exterior with precision stitched detail, polished bras...
Metal, Brass
Ambrogio Tresoldi e Alberto Salvati Wardrobe Cabinet in Purple Blue Wood
By Salvati e Tresoldi
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ambrogio Tresoldi and Alberto Salvati, cabinet / wardrobe, lacquered wood, Italy, 1970s Ambrogio Tresoldi and Alberto Salvati began their careers at the Politecnico di Milano under ...
Wood
MEZZO Credenza — Minimal, Architectural Blackened Steel Storage Cabinet or Case
By Laylo Studio
Located in Chicago, IL
MEZZO is signified by gently contoured, tiered metal planes each hand-finished and precisely welded to outboard leveling legs creating an open shelving system activated by the items ...
Brass, Bronze, Steel, Stainless Steel
$1,225Sale Price|75% Off
Italian Acerbis Modern Black Lacquer Sheraton Sideboard
By Acerbis
Located in Waxahachie, TX
Super long. Would fit an 100" TV with room to spare. Italian Postmodern glossy black lacquer "Sheraton" sideboard, designed by Giotto Stoppino (Italian, 1926-2011) and Lodovico Acer...
Wood, Lacquer
$23,176Sale Price|20% Off
Giorgio Tura & Nucci Valsecchi Model 2047 Goatskin Parchment Bar Cabinet for Tura
By Aldo Tura
Located in Conversano, IT
If you would like to receive additional photos of this item, please feel free to contact us directly through the 1stDibs messaging system. We will be happy to provide you with furthe...
Crystal
Hollywood Regency Bar Cabinet in the Style of Willy Rizzo
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Cocktail bar, black fabric, brass, chrome-plated steel, stainless steel, laminated wood, smoked glass, smoked mirrored glass, aluminum, Italy, 1970s Hollywood Regency cocktail bar ...
Brass, Stainless Steel
Bertrand Cabinet by Massimo Iosa Ghini for Memphis, Milano, 1987
By Memphis Group, Massimo Iosa Ghini
Located in Kansas City, MO
Rare Bertrand cabinet by Massimo Iosa Ghini for Memphis, Milano, 1987. Original condition with very few blemishes. This can be used as a bar cabinet, sideboard, or general storage.
Steel, Chrome
Postmodern Chest of Drawers / Cabinet by Richard Snyder
Located in London, GB
‘The Cabinet of 3 7/8 Wishes’ by Richard Snyder (b. 1951). American, 1992. Incredible and very large sculptural postmodern chest of drawers with accompanying postcard from R. Snyder...
Brass
Mario Botta, Robot, Cabinet / Chest of Drawers, Italy, 1980s
By Alias, Mario Botta
Located in Renens, CH
Mario Botta “Robot” – Chest of Drawers for Alias, Italy 1980s This sculptural piece is in its purest sense a vertical storage unit composed of stacked geometric volumes, each functi...
Steel
Italian Modern Blue Black Solid Wood Sideboard by Umberto Asnago, Giorgetti 1982
By Giorgetti S.p.A., Umberto Asnago
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian post modern blue, black and wooden solid wood sideboard by Umberto Asnago for Giorgetti Italia, 1982. Sideboard in solid wood, with a curved profile, composed of a row of ce...
Wood
Blue Black Lacquer Silver Chest, Side Cabinet, Two Available. Very Utilitarian.
Located in Buchanan, MI
Blue Black Lacquer Silver Chest, Pull out shelf above two rows of fitted drawers above two doors opening to fitted interior. From the famous Chicago restaurant Everest.
Wood, Lacquer
Titti Fabiani "Book System" Modular Cabinet for Ideal Form Team (IFT)
Located in Firenze, IT
An iconic and versatile "Sistema Book" modular cabinet, designed by Titti Fabiani for Ideal Form Team (IFT) in 1969. This piece is a landmark of Italian modular design, celebrated fo...
Glass, Ash
Pair of 1980s American pink & gold drawer cabinets- use together or separately
Located in Hastings, GB
Pair of 1980s American pale pink laminate drawer cabinets with gold metal trim and lucite handles. These can be used separately or pushed flush together. Really useful if you have a ...
Metal
Bespoke Pop Art Italian Black Yellow Pink Multicolor Modern Credenza/Sideboard
By Cosulich Interiors & Antiques
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Add fun to your interior and color statement! Contemporary Bespoke customizable 4-door modern console/sideboard, entirely handcrafted in Italy with art glass hand painted on the reve...
Brass
One of a Kind Custom Made Art Modern Sideboard Doors Opening Upwards Stylish
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this very interesting and stylish Art Modern sideboard which has been custom made A very artist and creative piece, the style is like nothing I ...
Wood
$1,500Sale Price|40% Off
Modern Bar cart or trolly indoor or outdoor Patio Pool white and wood
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Modern Bar cart or tea trolly indoor or outdoor poolside white and wood. Circa 1990 or 1980. Powder coated white steel frame with exotic hardwood slats. Has (2) large white wheels wi...
Rubber, Hardwood, Lacquer
Andree Media Unit in Metal, Veneer and Straw Marquetry by Madheke
Located in Geneve, CH
Andree Media Unit in Metal, Veneer and Straw Marquetry by Madheke. Dimensions: W 140 x D 60 x H 180 cm. Materials: Veneered body with intricate marquetry detailing, two deep drawer c...
Metal
$360 / item
Middle Shelf in Aluminium by Six Dots Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Middle Shelf in Aluminium by Six Dots Design. Unique Piece. Dimensions: W 19.5 x D 59 x H 10.5 cm. Materials: Raw aluminum. Our bathroom shelf is perfect for a toothbrush, hand soap...
Aluminum
$174 / item
Small Shelf in Aluminium by Six Dots Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Shelf in Aluminium by Six Dots Design. Unique Piece. Dimensions: W 14.5 x D 20.5 x H 12 cm. Materials: Raw aluminum. Our smaller bathroom shelf is designed for a bottle of soa...
Aluminum
$1,112 / item
Big Shelf in Aluminium by Six Dots Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Big Shelf in Aluminium by Six Dots Design. Unique Piece. Dimensions: W 34 x D 104 x H 22.5 cm. Materials: Raw aluminum. Our long shelf is the perfect place for books, trinkets and c...
Aluminum
$12,543
"Staccato" Shelf
Located in Forest, BE
Designed in the 1990s by G.Diel & M. Schaper, the Staccato shelving system combines natural stone and stainless steel in a minimalist, architectural composition. Thick stone shelves ...
Stone, Metal
$12,880 / item
Geller Credenza by Madheke
Located in Geneve, CH
Geller Credenza by Madheke Dimensions: D 202 x W 54 x H 76.1 cm. Materials: Marbled stone credenza top, Walnut credenza body with pronounced front edge profile, Walnut veneered sculp...
Brass
$11,588
Vintage bar cigar, 1970s
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
The 'Bar Cigar' - This must be one of the best or perhaps THE best piece of furniture that has come in to our storage. Made of gorgeous macassar wood, aluminum, glass and granite, t...
Granite, Aluminum
Italian Brutalist Sideboard, 90s
Located in Buzzò, Emilia-Romagna
Introducing a timeless piece of furniture that will elevate your home - an Italian Brutalist Sideboard from the 1990s. Immerse yourself in the celebration of post-modern era with thi...
Wood
$220 / item
Pina Hat Shelf by OK Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Pina Hat Shelf by OK Design Dimensions: D 35 x W 68 x H 13 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal. Available in black, white, sea green, pigeon blue, or dusty peach. Please contact us. ...
Metal
$18,042 / item
Charles Serving Credenza by Madheke
Located in Geneve, CH
Charles Serving Credenza by Madheke Dimensions: D 201 x W 55 x H 90 cm. Materials: Leather drawer fronts featuring embossed leather, Brushed antique finished brass drawer edge, Brass...
Brass
Bespoke Italian Mondrian Style Blue Green White Brown Modern Brass Dresser/Chest
By Cosulich Interiors & Antiques
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Contemporary modern graphic Pop Art design six-drawer dresser / sideboard, entirely handcrafted in Italy, with a Piet Mondrian inspired abstract decor, the surrounds edged in natural...
Brass
$185 / item
Object 095 Shelf by NG Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 095 Shelf by NG Design Dimensions: W 30 x D 20 x H 10 cm Materials: Steel Also Available: All of objects available in different materials and colors on demand. Steel shelf w...
Steel
Vintage Yellow Acrylic Storage Cube with Three White Drawers after Joe Colombo
By Kartell, Palaset
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage Postmodern lemon yellow acrylic cube storage unit housing three white acrylic drawers with half-moon cut outs for pulls (ca. 1970s, Canada). Reminiscent of designs by both Pa...
Acrylic
$1,274 / item
Cloud Steps Shelves, 12 Steps, by OK Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Cloud Steps Shelves, 12 Steps, by OK Design Dimensions: D 24 x W 96 x H 176 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal. Cloud Steps is a wall-mounted, light, and poetic shelving system. Wit...
Metal
$359 / item
Cloud Steps Shelf by OK Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Cloud Steps Shelf by OK Design Dimensions: D 24 x W 96 x H 52 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal. Cloud Steps is a wall-mounted, light, and poetic shelving system. With its unique z...
Metal
5x USM Haller Rollcontainer Büroschrank Rollen dunkelblau offen
By Fritz Haller, WK Möbel
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten einen von fünf wunderschönen USM Haller Rollcontainern in dunkelblau zum Verkauf an. Die Bürocontainer lassen sich ideal unter dem Schreibtisch positionieren und bieten da...
Metal
USM Haller Bürocontainer Büroschrank Design weiß klein Fritz
By Fritz Haller, WK Möbel
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten einen wunderschönen, kleinen USM Haller Bürocontainer in weiß zum Verkauf an. Der kleine Büroschrank lässt sich ideal unter dem Schreibtisch positionieren und bietet dank ...
Metal
IKEA Märd Rolling Storage Box in Red Plastic, 1990s
By IKEA
Located in Stockholm, SE
Vintage IKEA “Märd” rolling storage box from the 1990s, executed in durable molded red plastic. Designed as a compact and mobile storage solution, the piece features integrated whee...
Plastic
$185 / item
Object 095 Shelf by NG Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 095 Shelf by NG Design Dimensions: W 30 x D 20 x H 10 cm Materials: Steel Also Available: All of objects available in different materials and colors on demand. Steel shelf w...
Steel
$185 / item
Object 095 Shelf by NG Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 095 Shelf by NG Design Dimensions: W 30 x D 20 x H 10 cm Materials: Steel Also Available: All of objects available in different materials and colors on demand. Steel shelf w...
Steel
$788 / item
Mortaise Wall Shelf-700 by Clemence Birot
Located in Geneve, CH
Mortaise wall shelf-400 by Clemence Birot Dimensions: 75 x 25 x 6,5 cm Materials: cork, metal. Clemence Birot started her career in Copenhagen, Denmark, and discovered a design prac...
Metal
$789 / item
Mortaise Wall Shelf-700 by Clemence Birot
Located in Geneve, CH
Mortaise wall shelf-400 by Clemence Birot Dimensions: 75 x 25 x 6,5 cm Materials: cork, metal. Clemence Birot started her career in Copenhagen, Denmark, and discovered a design prac...
Metal
Pastoe A'Dammer Roller Shutter Secretary, Grey
By Aldo van den Nieuwelaar, Pastoe
Located in Toronto, CA
A masterclass in restraint and rhythm. Designed in the 1980s by Dutch designer Aldo van den Nieuwelaar for UMS Pastoe, the ‘Amsterdammer’ wall desk takes the utilitarian DNA of a sec...
Plastic, Wood
$8,540 / item
Delano 5046 TV Unit by Redeco
Located in Geneve, CH
Delano 5046 TV Unit by Redeco Dimensions: W 250 x D 50 x H 42 cm Materials: Lightened mdf and mdf structure. One sliding doors. Four bronze glass shelves. ReDéco is a truly solid c...
Wood
$11,171 / item
Delano 5045 TV Unit by Redeco
Located in Geneve, CH
Delano 5045 TV Unit by Redeco Dimensions: W 250 x D 50 x H 42 cm Materials: Lightened mdf and mdf structure. One sliding doors. Four bronze glass shelves. ReDéco is a truly solid c...
Wood
$12,237 / item
Mohs Small Tabernacle by Studio Intervallo
Located in Geneve, CH
Mohs Small Tabernacle by Studio Intervallo Dimensions: W 30 x D 53 x H 75 cm Materials: Wooden structure, covered with marbled cotton paper. Mohs is a special element, which ari...
Wood
$13,766 / item
Mohs Medium Tabernacle by Studio Intervallo
Located in Geneve, CH
Mohs medium Tabernacle by Studio Intervallo Dimensions: W 30 x D 53 x H 115 cm Materials: Wooden structure, covered with marbled cotton paper. Mohs is a special element, which a...
Wood
Natural Rondelle Round Shelf by Storängen Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Natural Rondelle round shelf by Storängen Design Dimensions: D 25 x H 14 cm Materials: oak wood. Available in other colors and with or without steel hanger. Rondelle can be a s...
Oak
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.
Of all the vintage storage cabinets and antique case pieces that have become popular in modern interiors over the years, dressers, credenzas and cabinets have long been home staples, perfect for routine storage or protection of personal items.
In the mid-19th century, cabinetmakers would mimic styles originating in the Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI eras for their dressers, bookshelves and other structures, and, later, simpler, streamlined wood designs allowed these “case pieces” or “case goods” — any furnishing that is unupholstered and has some semblance of a storage component — to blend into the background of any interior.
Mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts will cite the tall modular wall units crafted in teak and other sought-after woods of the era by the likes of George Nelson, Poul Cadovius and Finn Juhl. For these highly customizable furnishings, designers of the day delivered an alternative to big, heavy bookcases by considering the use of space — and, in particular, walls — in new and innovative ways. Mid-century modern credenzas, which, long and low, evolved from tables that were built as early as the 14th century in Italy, typically have no legs or very short legs and have grown in popularity as an alluring storage option over time.
Although the name immediately invokes images of clothing, dressers were initially created in Europe for a much different purpose. This furnishing was initially a flat-surfaced, low-profile side table equipped with a few drawers — a common fixture used to dress and prepare meats in English kitchens throughout the Tudor period. The drawers served as perfect utensil storage. It wasn’t until the design made its way to North America that it became enlarged and equipped with enough space to hold clothing and cosmetics. The very history of case pieces is a testament to their versatility and well-earned place in any room.
In the spirit of positioning your case goods center stage, decluttering can now be design-minded.
A contemporary case piece with open shelving and painted wood details can prove functional as a storage unit as easily as it can a room divider. Alternatively, apothecary cabinets are charming case goods similar in size to early dressers or commodes but with uniquely sized shelving and (often numerous) drawers.
Whether you’re seeking a playful sideboard that features colored glass and metal details, an antique Italian hand-carved storage cabinet or a glass-door vitrine to store and show off your collectibles, there are options for you on 1stDibs.