Antique Brass Cashier Bank Teller or Post Office Cage Window
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1920. We offer this beautiful antique cashier bank teller or post office cage window. Made in
Brass
Antique / Industrial 36 cubby hole post office sorting desk / bathroom / kitchen
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique / Industrial 36 cubby hole post office sorting desk...Great size,, Amazing patina,, retains
Metal
$2,699 / item
Past Medium Office Desk by Pastform
Located in Geneve, CH
Past Medium Office Desk by Pastform Dimensions: D 70 x W 130 x H 76 cm. Materials: Stained and
Wood
Vintage Post Modern Chrome & Glass Etagere Bookshelf
Located in Los Angeles, CA
striking Post-Modern étagère features a clean architectural chrome frame paired with its original glass
Chrome
Vintage Post Modern Aluminum & Glass Bookcase Shelf Unit
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Condition: Original Vintage Condition Materials: Aluminum, Glass, Has Key This vintage Post Modern
Aluminum
Post-Modern Wall Unit in Glass and Travertine
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Wall unit, travertine, glass, Europe, 1970s Elegant and architectural wall unit crafted during the 1970s, composed of travertine supports and glass shelves. The design is defined by...
Travertine
Post modern industrial freestanding shelving unit, Italy 1970s
By Tomado, Coen de Vries, Pilastro
Located in ECHT, NL
Modular metal shelving unit. Made in Italy in the 1970s. Is has three sections. Made in the style of Pilastro, Artimeta and Tomado. The shelves can be placed on different heights. By...
Metal
Rhomboid Post-Modern Marcello Morandini "Corner" Shelves, Rosenthal, Pair
By Marcello Morandini, Rosenthal
Located in Miami, FL
Rhomboid Post-Modern Marcello Morandini "Corner" Shelves, Pair Offered for sale is a tall
Ash, Lacquer
Post modern minimalist wall shelves , 1980s
Located in Delft, NL
Minimalst cabinet in good condition.
Metal
Post Modern Sculptural Asymmetrical Open Bookcase Room Divider in Steel
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Storage unit or room divider, lacquered steel, Italy, 1970s This captivating bookcase hails from Italy, a period marked by a break from traditional forms and a playful embrace of sp...
Steel
A RADICAL POST-MODERN MEMPHIS SHELVING SYSTEM, France, 1980
Located in PARIS, FR
A radical shelving system or bookcase, Post-Modern, Constructivist, Memphis, Bauhaus, geometric
Brass, Bronze, Steel
$5,327Sale Price|20% Off
Post-Modern Metal Shelving Unit by Orezero, Italian Design, 1980s
By Bieffeplast
Located in Antwerp, BE
Memphis, industrial, post-modern shelving unit, by Orezero, Italy, 1980s Orezero is a palindrome.
Metal
Post Modern Italian Brass & Glass Hairpin Etagere
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Sleek and sculptural, this postmodern Italian étagère makes a striking statement with its elegant hairpin-style brass frame and airy glass shelving. The minimalist silhouette highlig...
Brass
Italian post modern modular curved edges black and white wooden bookcase, 1980s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian post modern modular curved edges black and white wooden bookcase, 1980s Modular bookcase in
Wood
$1,050Sale Price|50% Off
Pop art Post modern Pink Gloss Laminate floating wall mounted shelf unit
By Memphis Milano
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Beautiful post modern custom made bubblegum pink gloss laminate floating wall mounted shelf unit
Laminate, Plywood
Post Modern Memphis Salvatore Campos Art Brute Red Cat Metal Letter Desk Holder
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Post Modern Memphis Salvatore Campos Art Brute Red Cat Metal Letter Desk Holder Wonderful
Sheet Metal
Italian Post Modern Travertine, Wood and Polished Stainless Steel Bookcase
Located in Weesp, NL
pinnacle of stylishness, and by that point, with Pop and post-modern interiors, the phrases "Bel Design
Travertine, Stainless Steel
1980s Stone International Post-Modern Black Marble Glass Shelving Unit Italian
By Stone International
Located in London, GB
An impressive and monumental shelving unit in black carrara marble with asymmetrical raw edges and clear tempered glass. This piece has been made in late 1980s early 1990s by Stone I...
Marble
$7,857 / item
Ivory Simbiose Glass Cabinet by Andreas Anwander
Located in Geneve, CH
Ivory Simbiose Glass Cabinet by Andreas Anwander Dimensions: W 110 x D 49 x H 180 cm Materials
Brass
Post Modern Black Wood Modular Shelving Storage Unit
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A large black shelving unit. This versatile shelving unit is a great addition to any room. Its very dark black coloring makes it usable in a great variety of spaces and styles. It co...
Wood
2x Bonaldo Cabinet de Curiosité Regal Bücherregal Fabrice Berrux2
By Fabrice Berrux, Bonaldo
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten eins von insgesamt elf Bonaldo "Cabinet de Curiosité" Bücherregale aus dem Jahr 2023 zum
Wood
1x Bonaldo Cabinet de Curiosité Regal Bücherregal Fabrice Berrux
By Fabrice Berrux, Bonaldo
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten eins von insgesamt elf Bonaldo "Cabinet de Curiosité" Bücherregale aus dem Jahr 2023 zum
Wood
2x Bonaldo Cabinet de Curiosité Regal Bücherregal Fabrice Berrux
By Fabrice Berrux, Bonaldo
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten eins von insgesamt elf Bonaldo "Cabinet de Curiosité" Bücherregale aus dem Jahr 2023 zum
Wood
6x Bonaldo Cabinet de Curiosité Regal Bücherregal Fabrice Berrux
By Fabrice Berrux, Bonaldo
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten eins von insgesamt elf Bonaldo "Cabinet de Curiosité" Bücherregale aus dem Jahr 2023 zum
Wood
Post-Modern Italian Executive Desk Piano Black Burl by G&C Italia Art Deco Style
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Made in the 1980s in Italy, this desk features a sleek, post-modern, and angular design. Finished
Burl, Lacquer
Oren Zoldan "Monolith" Multifunctional Display and Storage Cabinet Prototype
Located in Chicago, IL
Oren Zoldan "Monolith" Multifunctional Display and Storage Cabinet Prototype This striking cabinet
Wood
American Post-War White Wooden Table Desk with Chrome Base
Located in Queens, NY
American Post-War Design white painted wood table desk with drawers and supported on 2 chrome "X
Wood
Post-Modern Ceramic Shelf in the shape of a half Greek Ionic capital, Italy 70s
Located in Roma, IT
We offer for sale a shelf capable of recalling the ancient glories of Greek art in an informal dimension such as that of your apartment. The "studio 65" among the major exponents of ...
Ceramic
Ettore Sottsass Tempus Wall Cabinet in Wood by Poltronova 1960s
By Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Cascina, Pisa
An elegant wall-mounted cabinet in veneered walnut with a white lacquered front and an inset round
Metal
English 1870s Mahogany Three-Tiered Trolley with Turned Side Posts and Casters
Located in Atlanta, GA
An English mahogany three-tiered trolley from the late 19th century, with turned side posts and
Mahogany
English 1850s Rosewood Three-Tiered Trolley with Carved Side Posts and Casters
Located in Atlanta, GA
with carved edges on four sides secured within four elegant side posts. The posts are topped with
Brass
Post Modern Space Age Plastic Shelves by Olaf Von Bohr for Kartell c. 1970's
By Olaf von Bohr, Kartell
Located in New York, NY
Space Age, Postmodern plastic shelf unit, designed by Olaf Von Bohr for Kartell, made in Italy circa 1970's. This example is in very good, original, clean and ready to use condition,...
Plastic
“Zink” Magazine Stand, Källemo, Sweden
By Jonas Bohlin
Located in Brussels, BE
Jonas Bohlin — “Zink” Magazine Stand, Källemo, Sweden, Post-1984 Designer: Jonas Bohlin (b. 1953
Concrete, Metal
Adjustable Desk in Beech Produced by Seltz, France 1980s
By Ebenisterie Seltz et Fils 1
Located in Hellouw, NL
Crafted in solid beech, this sculptural desk by Seltz from the 1980s combines functional ingenuity with expressive form, echoing the design principles associated with Pierre Chapo. ...
Beech
Wood Walnut, Veneer Walnut Natural & Clear Glass Palodia Bookshelf by Madheke
Located in Geneve, CH
Wood Walnut Natural, Veneer Walnut & Clear Glass Centre Table by Madheke Dimensions: D 140 x W 30 x H 195 cm. Materials: Solid walnut construction with natural grain, Intricate hand-...
Wood
$6,997 / item
Venice Sestiere Desk by Morici
Located in Geneve, CH
Venice Sestiere Desk by Morici Dimensions: W 113 x D 65 x H 77 cm, Drawers : 42×43 H6 covered in Alcantara. Materials: Wood, black Alcantara, inlay veneer. Finish : Gloss brushed pol...
Wood
$6,997 / item
Venice Cannaregio Desk by Morici
Located in Geneve, CH
Venice Cannaregio Desk by Morici Dimensions: W 113 x D 65 x H 77 cm, Drawers : 42×43 H6 covered in Alcantara. Materials: Wood, black Alcantara, inlay veneer. Finish : Gloss brushed p...
Wood
$6,997 / item
Venice Laguna Desk by Morici
Located in Geneve, CH
Venice Laguna Desk by Morici Dimensions: W 113 x D 65 x H 77 cm, Drawers : 42×43 H6 covered in Alcantara. Materials: Wood, black Alcantara, inlay veneer. Finish : Gloss brushed polye...
Wood
$6,997 / item
Venice Mestre Desk by Morici
Located in Geneve, CH
Venice Mestre Desk by Morici Dimensions: W 113 x D 65 x H 77 cm, Drawers : 42×43 H6 covered in Alcantara. Materials: Wood, black Alcantara, inlay veneer. Finish : Gloss brushed polye...
Wood
$6,997 / item
Venice Rialto Desk by Morici
Located in Geneve, CH
Venice Rialto Desk by Morici Dimensions: W 113 x D 65 x H 77 cm, Drawers : 42×43 H6 covered in Alcantara. Materials: Wood, black Alcantara, inlay veneer. Finish : Gloss brushed polye...
Wood
$41,284 / item
Thai Oak Bookshelf by Baka Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Thai Oak Bookshelf by Baka Studio Limited Edition Dimensions: D 212 x W 74 x H 300 CM Materials: Oak wood, lacquered wood, veneered finish. Thai is a sculptural screen-shelf: timber...
Oak
$16,913 / item
Temple Tilia Wood Table by Baka Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Temple Tilia Wood Table by Baka Studio Limited Edition Dimensions: D 89 x W 79 x H 76 CM Materials: Tilia wood. Temple is a small table in linden (Tilia), inspired by the timber joi...
Oak
$25,569 / item
Riflesso Oak Bookshelf by Baka Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Riflesso Oak Bookshelf by Baka Studio Limited Edition Dimensions: D 112 x W 45 x H 190 CM Materials: Oak wood, lacquered wood, veneered finish. A totemic étagère: soft-edged shelves...
Oak
Curved Shape Top Gold Bronze Desk with Metal Frame by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Seneca Desk Console by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 170 x D 80 x H 75 cm Materials: Metal frame and legs in Cloudy Bronze finish. Desk with curved shape top, cylinder legs and...
Metal
Black Oak Top Desk Console with White Finish Base by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Teseo Desk Console by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 172 x D 72 x H 75 cm Materials: Black oak wood, Handmade white finish. Writing desk in black oak wood and handmade white fin...
Oak
Modular Bookcase "Skeleton" by Julius Esser
By Julius Esser
Located in Wien, AT
The Skeleton Shelf is a striking modular shelving system that merges art, design, and natural metaphor. Inspired by the image of an animal skeleton slowly returning to the earth, Jul...
Aluminum
$2,978 / item
Kinko Shelf in Brass by Zincutec
Located in Geneve, CH
Kinko Shelf in Brass by Zincutec Dimensions: D 17 x W 25 x H 170 cm. Materials: Brass. Available in brass or stainless steel. Available with one, two, or three shelves. Prices may v...
Brass
Ettore Sottsass Cantone Corner Shelves, Italy, 1981
By Zanotta, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Dronten, NL
Striking “Cantone” corner cabinet designed by Ettore Sottsass, an iconic example of the Italian
Silver
Unique, Smoked Mina Int 2 Modular Bookcase Library Wall Units by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
integrated storage unit in Smoked Eucalyptus. Two glass doors cabinet with wooden and glass shelves and LED
Wood
Jay Spectre for Century Furniture Drop-Front Desk 1980c
By Jay Spectre, Century Furniture
Located in Chicago, IL
Jay Spectre for Century Furniture Drop-Front Desk 1980c Perceptive Drop-Front Desk Century Furniture, circa 1980 A rare and architecturally striking drop-front desk designed by Jay S...
Brass, Stainless Steel
Large "Peter" Shelving Unit by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea, 1980s
By Niels Gammelgaard, IKEA
Located in Lyon, FR
Large freestanding chrome-plated metal shelving unit, “Peter” model, designed by Niels Gammelgaard for IKEA, 1980s. Practical and sturdy, the shelves are made of perforated metal wit...
Metal
Jeannot Cerutti “Libabel” Bookcase for Sawaya & Moroni, 1989s
By Jeannot Cerutti, Sawaya & Moroni
Located in Skokie, IL
Jeannot Cerutti for Sawaya & Moroni rare post modern "Libabel" bookcase, Italy, 1989
Steel
$9,467 / item
Palissandro Santos Bookcase by Petra Madalena
Located in Geneve, CH
Palissandro Santos Bookcase by Petra Madalena Dimensions: W 45 x D 45 x H 165 cm Materials: palissandro santos veneer. Weight: 70 kg (± 5 kg for packaging) Elevate your living space...
Wood
W. Laubersheimer, Signed “Verspanntes Regal” Shelf, Pentagon Group
By Wolfgang Laubersheimer, Pentagon Group
Located in Krefeld, DE
Wolfgang Laubersheimer, early signed “Verspanntes Regal” Shelf, Germany, 1980s This 'Verspanntes Regal' shelf is an exceptionally rare piece by Wolfgang Laubersheimer, personally si...
Steel
Wolfgang Laubersheimer, 'Patent Regal', Metal Shelf, Pentagon Group, Germany
By Pentagon Group, Wolfgang Laubersheimer
Located in Krefeld, DE
Designed in the early 1980s, the Patent Regal is a clear expression of the radical design language associated with the Pentagon Group, an influential German design collective known f...
Steel
Textured Natural Wood Desk with Support Round Leg by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Norah Desk Console by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 160 x D 65 x H 75 cm Materials: Chestnut Burl with metal finish dividers and plinth. Norah desk made in Chestnut Burl with ...
Copper
Textured Natural Wood Desk with Metal Bronze Details by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Sarah Desk Console by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 180 x D 82 x H 76 cm Materials: Chestnut burl texture, metal bronze finish for under top divider. Wide legs as a storage un...
Metal
Postmodern design was a short-lived movement that manifested itself chiefly in Italy and the United States in the early 1980s. The characteristics of vintage postmodern furniture and other postmodern objects and decor for the home included loud-patterned, usually plastic surfaces; strange proportions, vibrant colors and weird angles; and a vague-at-best relationship between form and function.
ORIGINS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
VINTAGE POSTMODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
Critics derided postmodern design as a grandstanding bid for attention and nothing of consequence. Decades later, the fact that postmodernism still has the power to provoke thoughts, along with other reactions, proves they were not entirely correct.
Postmodern design began as an architectural critique. Starting in the 1960s, a small cadre of mainly American architects began to argue that modernism, once high-minded and even noble in its goals, had become stale, stagnant and blandly corporate. Later, in Milan, a cohort of creators led by Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini — a onetime mentor to Sottsass and a key figure in the Italian Radical movement — brought the discussion to bear on design.
Sottsass, an industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, gathered a core group of young designers into a collective in 1980 they called Memphis. Members of the Memphis Group, which would come to include Martine Bedin, Michael Graves, Marco Zanini, Shiro Kuramata, Michele de Lucchi and Matteo Thun, saw design as a means of communication, and they wanted it to shout. That it did: The first Memphis collection appeared in 1981 in Milan and broke all the modernist taboos, embracing irony, kitsch, wild ornamentation and bad taste.
Memphis works remain icons of postmodernism: the Sottsass Casablanca bookcase, with its leopard-print plastic veneer; de Lucchi’s First chair, which has been described as having the look of an electronics component; Martine Bedin’s Super lamp: a pull-toy puppy on a power-cord leash. Even though it preceded the Memphis Group’s formal launch, Sottsass’s iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell with radical pops of pink neon — proves striking in any space and embodies many of the collective’s postmodern ideals.
After the initial Memphis show caused an uproar, the postmodern movement within furniture and interior design quickly took off in America. (Memphis fell out of fashion when the Reagan era gave way to cool 1990’s minimalism.) The architect Robert Venturi had by then already begun a series of plywood chairs for Knoll Inc., with beefy, exaggerated silhouettes of traditional styles such as Queen Anne and Chippendale. In 1982, the new firm Swid Powell enlisted a group of top American architects, including Frank Gehry, Richard Meier, Stanley Tigerman and Venturi to create postmodern tableware in silver, ceramic and glass.
On 1stDibs, the vintage postmodern furniture collection includes chairs, coffee tables, sofas, decorative objects, table lamps and more.
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.