$25,014 / 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
Postmodern Italian Travertine Desk with Three Drawers, 1980s
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This sculptural Italian travertine three drawer desk dates to the 1980s and exemplifies the bold architectural approach to stone furniture associated with late 20th-century Italian d...
Travertine
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
Vintage Postmodern White Illuminated Wall Unit Dry Bar Display Case
Located in Lutz, FL
1980’s Post Mod White Lacquered Wall Unit Dry Bar Display Cabinet. An incredible wall unit/dry bar
Metal
Wave Bookshelf in Powder Coated Aluminium by Julien Vidame
Located in Geneve, CH
Wave Bookshelf in Powder Coated Aluminium by Julien Vidame. Dimensions: W 50 x D 35 x H 135 cm. Materials: Powder-coated aluminium. Available in Dull Black, Shiny White, or Silver Va...
Aluminum
$7,829 / item
Coquillage Shelf in Aluminium by Julien Vidame
Located in Geneve, CH
Coquillage Shelf in Aluminium by Julien Vidame. Dimensions: W 108 x D 20 x H 35 cm. Materials: Aluminium. This shelf is also available in a larger 158 cm version. Additionally, the ...
Aluminum
$11,263 / item
Coquillage Shelf in Copper by Julien Vidame
Located in Geneve, CH
Coquillage Shelf in Copper by Julien Vidame. Dimensions: W 158 x D 20 x H 35 cm. Materials: Copper. This shelf is also available in a smaller 108 cm version. Additionally, the piece...
Copper
$11,263 / item
Coquillage Shelf in Brass by Julien Vidame
Located in Geneve, CH
Coquillage Shelf in Brass by Julien Vidame. Dimensions: W 158 x D 20 x H 35 cm. Materials: Brass. This shelf is also available in a smaller 108 cm version. Additionally, the piece i...
Brass
Giano Free Standing Or Wall Bookcase in Glossy Ebony & Horn by Arcahorn
Located in Geneve, CH
Giano Free Standing Or Wall Bookcase in Glossy Ebony & Horn by Arcahorn Dimensions: D 40 x W 250 x H 148 cm. Materials: Glossy ebony and horn. In 1958, Mario Guerra, a young artisan...
Other
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
$42,994 / item
L1 Shelf in Brushed Aluminium by Giotto Pagani
Located in Geneve, CH
L1 Shelf in Brushed Aluminium by Giotto Pagani. Dimensions: W 160 x D 32 x H 215 cm Materials: Non directional brushed finish aluminium. Part of the Lisboa collection, the L1 Shelf ...
Aluminum
$9,262 / 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
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
Contemporary Polished Steel and Black Oak Desk Console by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Black Oak Jean Desk Console by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 180 x D 80 x H 76 cm Materials: Polished Steel, Black Oak. Smooth lines of sculptural bases in polished stainless ...
Steel
Curved Shape Top Glossy Red Desk with Striped Edge by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Medea Desk Console by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 170 x D 80 x H 75 cm Materials: Copper glossy lacquer finish. Writing desk with curved shape top, two cylinder legs, cylinde...
Copper
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
$14,840 / item
Ebonized White Ash Wishbone Shelving by A. Jacob Marks
Located in Geneve, CH
Ebonized White Ash Wishbone Shelving by A. Jacob Marks Dimensions: W 142 x D 30 x H 183 cm. Materials: Ebonized White Ash. W57 Also available in different materials. Wyandotte gue...
Ash
Unique Wall Hanging Shelf in Ziricote Wood by Jörg Pietschmann
By Jörg Pietschmann
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Wall Hanging Shelf in Ziricote Wood by Jörg Pietschmann. Dimensions: D 18,5 x W 112 x H 2,5 cm. Materials: Ziricote Wood. All wall shelves include steel pin holders for discr...
Wood
Unique Wall Hanging Shelf in Ziricote Wood by Jörg Pietschmann
By Jörg Pietschmann
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Wall Hanging Shelf in Ziricote Wood by Jörg Pietschmann. Dimensions: D 13 x W 72 x H 2,5 cm. Materials: Ziricote Wood. All wall shelves include steel pin holders for discreet...
Wood
$1,255 / item
Pangea Open Furniture by Morica Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Pangea Open Furniture by Morica Design Dimensions: D 28 x W 150 x H 30 cm. Materials: Marsala red lacquered wood. Available in Canaletto Walnut, Laguna Oak, or natural oak wood. Ple...
Wood
$6,336 / item
Parentesi Oak Wood Bookshelf by Morica Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Parentesi Oak Wood Bookshelf by Morica Design Dimensions: D 40 x W 160 x H 180 cm. Materials: Oak wood, Marmorino Terracotta lacquered wood. Available in Canaletto Walnut, Laguna Oa...
Wood
$2,913 / 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
Jay Spectre for Century Furniture Drop-Front Desk 1980c
By Century Furniture, Jay Spectre
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 IKEA, Niels Gammelgaard
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
Meritalia Cross Shelf, Black by Carlo Contin
By Carlo Contin, Meritalia
Located in Toronto, ON
Bookcase in ashwood, supported and structured by the primary design geometry of a diagonal cross. Current production. Includes Certificate of Authenticity.
Wood
Gaetano Pesce Nobody's Guard Red
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Naples, FL
accent piece in an office, or perhaps displayed in a museum. Excellent condition with no cracks or breaks.
Resin
W. Laubersheimer, Signed “Verspanntes Regal” Shelf, Pentagon Group
By Pentagon Group, Wolfgang Laubersheimer
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
Mina Int 1, Walnut Modular Bookcase Library Wall Units by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
in Walnut Canaletto (Noce Canaletto). Two-doors cabinet with wooden and glass shelves and LED
Wood, Walnut
Postmodern Bookcase by Roberto Pamio and Renato Toso for Stilwood, Italy, 1970s
By Roberto Pamio & Renato Toso, Stilwood
Located in Antwerp, BE
post-modern aesthetics with refined Italian craftsmanship. The piece features a dynamic interplay of
Formica, Wood
Open Textured Natural Wood Shelves with Metallic Bronze Finish by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Nina 150 Bookcase Library Wall Units by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 150 x D 47 x H 177 cm Materials: Chestnut Burl with metallic Bronze finish. Open shelves library in Chest...
Burl
Open Textured Natural Wood High Shelf with Metallic Bronze Finish by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Nina Bookcase Library Wall Units by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 112 x D 47 x H 225 cm Materials: Chestnut Burl with storage element with flap door in wavy bronze finish. Nin...
Burl
Rectangular Naturally Patinated Steel Contemporary Writing Desk by Dennis Kaiser
Located in Geneve, CH
Rectangular Patinated Steel Contemporary Forever Writing Desk by Dennis Kaiser Dimensions: D 50 x W 110 x H 77 cm. Materials: Steel. Handcrafted in Tuscany, Italy. Customization is ...
Steel
$1,752 / item
Kinko Shelf in Stainless Steel by Zincutec
Located in Geneve, CH
Kinko Shelf in Stainless Steel by Zincutec Dimensions: D 17 x W 25 x H 170 cm. Materials: Stainless steel. Available in brass or stainless steel. Available with one, two, or three s...
Stainless Steel
New Collection: Contemporary Arcadia Bookstore production by Vintage Domus
Located in Milano, IT
Collection. This bookcase, which can also serve as a cabinet for storing objects, has been designed to be
Wood
$16,871Sale Price / item|20% Off
'Carlton' Room Divider and Bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano, Italy
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in London, GB
. This post-modernist sensation is from a un-limited edition and is individually numbered with a
Laminate, Wood
$9,191 / item
Galaxy Oak Wood Bookshelf by Morica Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Galaxy Oak Wood Bookshelf by Morica Design Dimensions: D 46 x W 200 x H 253 cm. Materials: Oak wood, Champagne metal. 2 x M2 modules Available in different modules combinations. Av...
Metal
$10,422 / item
Dany Bookshelves by WM Metal Design
By William Mulas
Located in Geneve, CH
Dany Bookshelves by WM Metal Design Dimensions: D 35 x W 135 x H 230 cm. Materials: Aluminum. Entirely made of aluminum with a gold finish, the Dany Bookcase is a novel and luxurio...
Aluminum
Philippe Starck Black Enameled Metal "John Ild" Bookshelf, 1977
By Philippe Starck, Disform
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Produced by Italian manufacturer Disform in 1977, the John Ild bookshelf is one of Philippe Starck's earliest documented furniture designs. Five ascending black lacquered metal shelv...
Metal, Enamel
Galea 230 Bibliothèque in European Dark Oak by Mokko Amsterdam
Located in Geneve, CH
Galea 230 Bibliothèque in European Dark Oak by Mokko Amsterdam Dimensions: D 30 x W 230 x H 191 cm. Materials: European oak. Available in different material options and dimensions....
Oak
Brut 230 European Dark Oak Bilbiothèque by Mokko Amsterdam
Located in Geneve, CH
Brut 230 European Dark Oak Bilbiothèque by Mokko Amsterdam Dimensions: D 30 x W 230 x H 192 cm. Materials: European oak. Available in different material options and dimensions. Des...
Oak
Luigi Saccardo 'Topline' Wall Unit in Vibrant Green and Black Color
By Luigi Saccardo
Located in Waalwijk, NL
. The clean and open layout of the cabinet allows to display objects in several ways. The center piece
Metal
$17,553 / item
Roma Bookshelf by Somaschini
Located in Geneve, CH
Roma Bookshelf by Somaschini Dimensions: W 65 x D 65 x H 161 cm Materials: Solid Roman Travertine structure. Boookshelf in solid Roman Travertine. About: Somaschini is a new-born ...
Travertine
Zafira Boiserie Wall Panel in Leather with Horn & Silk Detailing by Arcahorn
Located in Geneve, CH
Zafira Boiserie Wall Panel in Leather with Horn & Silk Detailing by Arcahorn Dimensions: L 100 x H 100 cm. Materials: Horn, leather, and silk. Colours and shades of horn processed b...
Other
W2343 Vertical Bookcase in Oak Wood by Jörg Pietschmann
By Jörg Pietschmann
Located in Geneve, CH
W2343 Vertical Bookcase in Oak Wood by Jörg Pietschmann Dimensions: D 42 x W 27 x H 91 cm. Materials: Oak wood. In Pietschmann’s sculptures, trees that for centuries were part of a ...
Oak
W2355 Decorative Vertical Bookcase in Oak Wood by Jörg Pietschmann
By Jörg Pietschmann
Located in Geneve, CH
W2355 Decorative Vertical Bookcase in Oak Wood by Jörg Pietschmann Dimensions: D 29 x W 26 x H 115 cm. Materials: Oak wood. In Pietschmann’s sculptures, trees that for centuries wer...
Oak
$15,634 / item
Foundation Bookshelf by Goons
Located in Geneve, CH
Foundation bookshelf by Goons Dimensions: W 74 x D 30 x H 150 cm Materials: Birch plywood. Oak finish. Dimensions can be adjusted +/- 10 cm Goons is located in Paris, France. All o...
Wood
Ariadne, Black and White Library Wall Units by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Ariadne, Black and White Library Wall Units by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 316 x D 49 x H 230 cm Materials: Black Oak. Library with artistic door facades with volumetric abstract d...
Oak
Unique, Neutral Grey 3 Modular Library Wall Units by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Mina Int 3 Modular Library Wall Units by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 326 x D 46 x H 194 cm Materials: Lacquered structure, wooden, ceramic or inox inserts. Bookcase compositi...
Wood, Lacquer
Unique, Neutral Beige Modular Library Wall Units by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Mina A60 Modular Library Wall Units by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 224 x D 184 x H 194 cm Materials: Lacquered structure, wooden, ceramic or inox inserts. Modular composition...
Wood, Lacquer
Unique, Neutral Green 4 Modular Library Wall Units by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Mina Int 4 Modular Library Wall Units by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 240 x D 47.5 x H 194 cm Materials: Lacquered structure, wooden, ceramic or inox inserts. Modular composit...
Wood, Lacquer
Magazine ‘Zink’ shelf by Jonas Bohlin for Källemo, Sweden 1984
By Jonas Bohlin, Källemo
Located in Antwerp, BE
A striking example of Swedish postmodern design, this magazine ‘Zink’ shelf by Jonas Bohlin for Källemo blends industrial edge with sculptural elegance. Designed in 1984 and made out...
Concrete, Metal
Memphis Milano Carlton Shelf by Ettore Sottsass
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Toronto, ON
An absolute icon of Memphis designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1981, Carlton fully represents the programmatic intention of the group: the desire to transgress with an irreverent, unorth...
Laminate, Wood
Lacquered Finish with Walnut Modular Library by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Mina Vintage Modular Library Wall Units by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 222 x D 164 x H 194 cm Materials: Vintage Bronze effect handmade lacquered finish with Walnut Noce. Mod...
Wood, Lacquer
Green Beige Lacquered 3-Tier Bookshelf with Rounded Inserts by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Mina LW Modular Library Wall Units by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 301.3 x D 96.5 x H 124 cm Materials: Green Beige mat lacquered finish with Walnut Canaletto. Three-level boo...
Wood, Lacquer
3-Shelf Modular Bookcase in Halcyon Green with Walnut Accents by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Mina A140 Modular Library Wall Units by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 203 x D 203 x H 232 cm Materials: Lacquered structure, wooden, ceramic or inox inserts. Modular compositio...
Wood, Lacquer
Barbarella Writing Desk / Secretary by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1966/1985
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Kansas City, MO
Ettore Sottsass Barbarella cabinet for Poltronova, Italy. Designed in 1966, produced in 1985. The
Brass
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.