De Sede DS142 versatile sofa by Winfried Totzek
By De Sede
Located in Zevenaar, NL
Beautiful red postmodern ds 142 sofa. The high-quality pieces of furniture from the swiss manufacturer are known for their first-class workmanship and timeless elegance. Condition:...
Agate, Steel
Postmodern "Squash" Sofa by Paolo Deganello for Driade, 1981
By Driade, Paolo Deganello
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Rare model "Squash" sofa designed by Paolo Deganello, cofounder of Archizoom Group, for Driade in 1981. This beautiful Postmodern piece is composed of a lacquered metal structure and...
Metal
Studio 65 Sofa Bocca or Marilyn Gufram, 1970, ca. Italy
By Studio 65, Gufram Furniture
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Bocca or Marilyn sofa in polyurethane foam covered with a red jersey fabric, designed by Studio 65 and produced by Gufram, Italy, 1970 approx. Measures: 210 x 80 x 82 cm Literature...
Fabric, Foam
Rare Parigi Sofa by Aldo Rossi for Unifor Como, Italy
By Aldo Rossi
Located in Dronten, NL
Important Parigi sofa designed by the architect Aldo Rossi and manufactured by Unifor, Italy in 1989. Postmodern Classic. Only very few where made on request and under authorizat...
Steel
Sculptural curved cloud sofa by Adrian Pearsall for Comfort Designs, USA 1980s.
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Hastings, GB
Stunning sculptural curved cloud sofa by Adrian Pearsall for Comfort Designs, USA 1980s. The original raspberry red (or lipstick red?) ultrasuede upholstery is in great condition for...
Ultrasuede
Rare Base Spectrum Michiel van der Kley Sofa Aluminium Frame, 2001
By 't Spectrum
Located in Boven Leeuwen, NL
This sofa was designed by Michiel van der Kley for Spectrum in 2001. There are only around the 30 pieces and is therefore extremely rare. High quality and very heavy construction. Th...
Aluminum
Milo Baughman Style Red Velour Three-Piece Sectional Sofa Set by Aven Rich
By Harvey Probber, De Sede, Milo Baughman, Florence Knoll, Thayer Coggin
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Original reddish-burgundy velvet/velour fabric has been professionally steam cleaned and looks great. No need to reupholster this vintage gem. First off, this fabric is striking. ...
Velvet
Sold|$29,606 / set
Mario Bellini B&B Italia, Camaleonda Sofa Set in Orange Upholstery, 1970
By B&B Italia, Mario Bellini
Located in Milan, IT
Mario Bellini Camaleonda sofa set of 4 elements in orange upholstery, made for B&B Italia in 1970. The seats are currently clad in their original upholstery.
Fabric
Sold|$12,000
Brueton Postmodern Modular Sectional Sofa, 1980
By Brueton
Located in Chicago, IL
Post modern modular sectional sofa, 1980. Original fabric shows some wear and stains. 4 Chair sections each measure 26.5" wide, 2 ottoman sections each measure 26.5" wide x 28" deep...
Upholstery
Sold|$17,000 / set
Mario Bellini's Camaleonda Sectional Sofa
By Mario Bellini
Located in Antwerp, BE
Camaleonda sectional sofa by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia 1971 Postmodern sectional sofa by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia in the 1970s. The entire sofa consists of 3 big seating elem...
Wool, Foam
Ralph Lauren Custom Cashmere Wool Navajo Down-Filled Sofa 3-Seat Southwest Chic
By Ralph Lauren
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Gorgeous 1990s custom Ralph Lauren Navajo Cashmere & wool blend 3-seat Sofa. The armchairs I listed last month, sold only hours after the listing went up. If interested, do not hesit...
Wool, Down
Original Ligne Roset Ecksofa Togo Couch Ducaroy Wildleder rot
By Ligne Roset, Michel Ducaroy
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten ein wunderschönes Togo Ecksofa vom französischen Traditionshersteller Ligne Roset zum Verkauf an. Das Sofa besteht aus einem 1-Sitzer, einem 2-Sitzer und einem Eckmodul un...
Suede, Fabric
Sold|$20,250 / set
Mah-Jong Sofa Set by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois, 12 Pieces
By Hans Hopfer, Kenzo Takada, Roche Bobois
Located in Seattle, WA
A 12-piece Mah-Jong sofa designed by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois, in a mix of Kenzo Takada Fabric and Missoni Fabric. The set is in good condition, with light fabric wear on a few p...
Fabric, Foam
Original Michel Ducaroys Togo Sectional Three Pieces in Red Leather
By Michel Ducaroy
Located in Seattle, WA
Classic French Togo set by Michel Ducaroy for luxury brand, Ligne Roset. Originally designed in the 1970s, the iconic Togo Sofa is now a design classic. This set comes in its origina...
Foam
Original Michel Ducaroys Togo Sectional 4 pieces in Bordeaux Red Alcantara
By Michel Ducaroy
Located in Seattle, WA
Classic French Togo set by Michel Ducaroy for luxury brand Ligne Roset. Originally designed in the 1970s the iconic togo sofa is now a design classic. This set comes in it's original...
Suede, Foam
Sold|$19,000 / item
Ubald Klug for De Sede 'Terrazza' Landscapes in Red Leather
By Ubald Klug, De Sede
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ubald Klug for De Sede, DS-1025 'Terrazza' landscape sofas, in red leather, Switzerland, 1970s. Waterfall shaped sofa in red brown leather by the Swiss manufacturer De Sede. The de...
Leather
Vintage Ligne Roset 3-Seater TOGO by Michel Ducaroy, Original Fabric
By Michel Ducaroy, Ligne Roset
Located in Toronto, CA
A design icon with undeniable charm, this three-seater Togo sofa by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset has been turning heads since its 1973 debut. Upholstered in a plush red fabric, its...
Suede, Foam
Mid-Century Post Modern Parsons Red Velvet 2 Seat Sofa loveseat
By Milo Baughman, Thayer Coggin
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Mid-Century Post Modern 3 seat Parsons sofa designed by Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin.
Upholstery, Velvet
Postmodern Danish Twilight Sleeper Sofa by DWR
Located in San Diego, CA
Is it a sofa, daybed, queen-size bed or two twins? Yes to all the above. No other sofa bed will prove to be as useful as the versatile Twilight Sleeper Sofa (1999). Compact and nicel...
Metal
Post-Modern Red and Blue Hollywood Regency Jacobean Coral Knole Sofa
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Custom, striking, unexpected juxtapositions of classics - color (red and blue), pattern (Jacobean and coral motifs) and form (table) vs texture (soft textile) Fresh and intelligent, ...
Textile
Mid Century Post Modern Italian Red Leather Sofa and chair set Roche Bobois
By Roche Bobois
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Beautiful Mid Century Italian Burnt Sienna Red Leather 3 seat Sofa and matching chair by Roche Bobois. Wonderful condition very clean - ready for use. Clean soft thick leather. Great...
Leather
Sold|$3,200
Red Velvet Marylin Bocca Style Sofa
By Studio 65, (after) Salvador Dali
Located in New Windsor, NY
Newly upholstered in a hot red velvet. This sweet piece is a variation of the Studio 65's homage to Salvador Dali and Marylin Monroe's lips. A comfy statement. Sexy contoured and scu...
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
Vladimir Kagan for American Leather 'Matinee' Red Leather Sofa Daybed, Signed
By Vladimir Kagan, American Leather
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The red leather on this Vladimir Kagan for American leather Postmodern 'Matinee' convertible sofa daybed is absolutely to die for. Beautiful color and patina throughout, featuring hi...
Leather
Edra Tatlin Sofa Loveseat by Mario Cananzi + Roberto Semprini, Red Velvet ITALY
By Mario Cananzi & Roberto Semprini, Edra
Located in Basel, BS
Edra Loveseat Sofa in Red Velvet--This is an Incredibly spectacular Spiral / Fibonacci Shaped Sofa!! This is a rare piece, an original Italian designer Edra Tatlin that is from a sm...
Steel
Sold|$4,950
Studio 65 'Marilyn Bocca Lip' Sofa
By Studio 65
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Sofa, fabric, metal frame, foam by Studio65, Italy, 1972. Paying homage to Marilyn Monroe and Salvador Dali. This settee is executed in fabric and is large enough to sit two peopl...
Fabric
Huge Postmodern Biomorphic 3-Piece Sectional Sofa
By Directional, Vladimir Kagan
Located in Las Vegas, NV
This amazing Postmodern sofa is unlike any sofa I have ever seen. The quality of the construction lends me to think the sofa is Italian or other European in design, however the sofa ...
Fabric
Sold|$6,250
Vintage Studio 65 Bocca Sofa
By Studio 65
Located in Dronten, NL
The Bocca sofa is an icon of postmodern furniture design. Studio 65 created this sofa as a hommage to Salvador Dalí's sofa from 1930. Original 1980s example of this iconic piece. ...
Steel
Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois Sectional Sofa in Red Velvet
By Roche Bobois, Hans Hopfer
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois, 'Mah Jong' modular sofa, velvet fabric, France, designed in 1971 'Mah Jong' modular sofa by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois France. This design truly rese...
Velvet
Sold|$5,329
Keith Haring Sofa by Bretz 2002 Pop Art
By Bretz, Keith Haring
Located in Halle, DE
Pop Art Design. Keith Haring 3-seat sofa for Bretz, Designed in colaboration with the Haring Foundation 2002, Pop - Art Design, Original upholstery in red velvet-like fabric with sma...
Fabric
De Sede DS-600 'Snake' Sectional Sofa in Vibrant Red Leather
By Eleanora Peduzzi-Riva, Heinz Ulrich, and Ueli Berger, De Sede
Located in Waalwijk, NL
De Sede, sofa model ‘Snake’ DS-600, leather, felt, Switzerland, 1972. A design by Ueli Berger, Elenora Peduzzi-Riva, Heinz Ulrich and Klaus Vogt for De Sede, Switzerland. This De ...
Leather, Felt
1980s 'Veranda' 3-Seater Burgundy Sofa by Vico Magistretti for Cassina
By Vico Magistretti
Located in High Point, NC
A Veranda model 3-seater sofa, designed by renowned Italian Industrial designer Vivo Magistretti for Cassina in the 1980s. Three seats, upholstered in bright burgundy leather, swivel...
Metal
Limited Edition Bocca Sofa by Studio 65 for Gufram, Signed Dated Numbered, 1986
By Studio 65, Gufram Furniture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This incredible lips sofa is by Studio 65 for Gufram, part of their 'Multipli' limited edition collections, the Bocca (Lips) sofa was a run of 1,000 units - and this particular examp...
Fabric, Foam
Sold|$21,400
Camaleonda Sectional Sofa in Bright Orange
By Mario Bellini, B&B Italia
Located in Antwerp, BE
Mario Bellini's 'camaleonda' sectional couch, B&B Italia, Italy, 1970s Bright orange velvet upholstery.
Velvet, Foam
Sold|$19,500
Mario Bellini's Camaleonda in Red Corduroy
By Mario Bellini
Located in Antwerp, BE
Camaleonda sectional sofa by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia 1971 Postmodern sectional sofa by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia in the 1970s. The entire sofa consists of 3 big seating el...
Velvet, Foam
Torso Lounge Chair by Paolo Deganello for Cassina
By Paolo Deganello
Located in Renens, CH
Torso lounge chair by Paolo Deganello for Cassina The Torso lounge chair was designed by Paolo Deganello in 1982 and produced for Cassina. With its asymmetrical and sculptural red b...
Steel
Set of 2 Postmodern Curved Yin-Yang Shaped Sofa Daybeds in Red Fabric, c 1980s
Located in Zagreb, HR
1980s curved sofa daybed Price is for the set of 2 Wooden frame upholstered in red fabric supported with five black painted globe-shaped wooden feet Unknown manufacturer Both ...
Fabric, Foam, Wood
Sold|$3,848
Pop-Art "Hand-Shaped" Sofa, 1980's
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Vintage sofa shaped as two hands, re-upholstered in red velvet.
Velvet
Sold|$5,506
Studio 65 ‘Lips’ Sofa for Edra
By Edra, Studio 65
Located in Amstelveen, Noord
1972 designed by Studio 65 model ‘Bocca’ or ‘Lips’ sofa for Edra Italy, manufactured 1999 The Studio 65 ‘Bocca’ sofa by Gufram is an icon of postmodern furniture design. Studio 65 cr...
Fabric
De Pas, Lomazzi Red Fabric Feather Zanotta Sofa with Aluminium Steel Frame, 1979
By Zanotta, Gionathan de Pas & Donato D’Urbino & Paolo Lomazzi
Located in Mornico al Serio ( BG), Lombardia
Design drawing, 1979. Frame in anthracite enamelled aluminium alloy and steel. Spring by elastic straps. Seat and back cushions in new goose feathers. Removable cover in red fabric. ...
Steel, Aluminum
Toshiyuki Kita “Luck” Sofa, Cassina, 1986 Made in Italy
By Toshiyuki Kita
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“Luck” sofa designed by Toshiyuki Kita for Cassina in 1986, belongs to the Wink collection. Red wool felt upholstery.
Wool
Important Sofa-Sculpture "L' Echauffeuse" by Louis Durot, 1992, France
By Louis Durot
Located in Milan, IT
Louis Durot (1939) "L' Echauffeuse,” 1992. Important sofa-sculpture dyed in red ridged polyurethane resin. Two full lips form the seat and back. Signed and dated on the base. Dimensi...
Foam, Resin
Mod Italian Vinyl Superonda Modular Sofa by Andrea Branzi for Poltrovna
By Archizoom Associati, Andrea Branzi, Poltronova
Located in Sacramento, CA
Superonda sofa, designed in 1966 by Andrea Branzi of Archizoom Associati for Poltrovna. The sofa is made up of two pieces, and can be configured in a variety of ways - as a sofa, a p...
Faux Leather, Foam
Vintage Togo Sofa Set in our signature Vegetaly high quality full grain leather
By Michel Ducaroy
Located in Ostend, BE
We are famous for our top quality leather and our excellent togo Ligne Roset upholstering specialty. 1 three-seat 1 two-seat 1 single seat 1 pouf 1 corner pieces. Iconic French sofa...
Leather
Postmodern Nicoletti Salotti Dark Red Leather Sofa/Loveseat - Made in Italy
By Nicoletti Salotti
Located in Asheville, NC
Elevate your living space with this exquisite postmodern Nicoletti dark red leather sofa, expertly crafted in Italy. Boasting timeless elegance and superior comfort, this sofa is sur...
Leather
Italian Sofa by Gaetano Pesce in Fabric Yellow Red Green Grey Brown 21st Century
By Meritalia, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Mornico al Serio ( BG), Lombardia
"Michetta" sofa was designed in 2005 by Gaetano Pesce for the Italian firm Meritalia. This sofa is a modular seating system with the five modules are all different that you can comb...
Fabric
Sofa Tatlin by Mario Cananzi & Roberto Semprini for Edra, Italy, 1989
By Edra, Mario Cananzi & Roberto Semprini
Located in Frankfurt / Dreieich, DE
Sofa Tatlin by Mario Cananzi & Roberto Semprini for Edra, Italy 1989 in a rare red leatherette version. Measures: B 210 cm, H 135 cm, W 175 cm, SH 41 cm. Very good condition. Deta...
Faux Leather
Cognac Leather Ligne Roset Togo Sofa Set, Designed by Michel Ducaroy, 1998
By Michel Ducaroy
Located in Ostend, BE
We are famous for our top quality leather and our excellent togo Ligne Roset upholstering specialty 1 three-seat 1 two-seat 1 single seat 1 pouf 2 corner pieces. Iconic Frenc...
Leather
Cognac Leather Ligne Roset Togo Sofa Set, Designed by Michel Ducaroy, 1998
By Michel Ducaroy
Located in Ostend, BE
We are famous for our top quality leather and our excellent togo Ligne Roset upholstering specialty. 1 three-seat 1 two-seat 1 single seat 1 pouf 1 corner pieces. Iconic French sofa...
Leather
Sold|$5,995
Gufram Vintage Bocca Lips Sofa by Studio 65
By Gufram Furniture, Studio 65
Located in Portland, ME
Designed in 1972, as an homage to Salvador Dali's Mae West-inspired sofa, the "Bocca" is an icon of Modern Design. Designers Studio 65 referenced Marilyn Monroe as an inspiration for...
Fabric, Foam
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.