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.
Barovier & Toso Crystal Glass Flush Mount
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Barovier&Toso, ceiling light, brass, crystal glass, Italy, 1980s An elegant flush mount by Barovier & Toso, expertly crafted in Italy from finely textured crystal glass. The...
Brass
Ton A.C. Alberts for RAAK 'Zodiac' Floor Lamp
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ton A.C. Alberts for RAAK Amsterdam, 'Zodiac' floor lamp, glass, wengé, metal, the Netherlands, 1970s This exceptional floor lamp, designed by Ton A.C. Alberts for RAAK Amsterdam in...
Metal
Postmodern Pair of Gold Metal Wall Sconces by Estiluz, Barcelona, 1980s
By Leonardo Marelli, Estiluz, Estiluz Lighting
Located in Badajoz, Badajoz
Cool Postmodern Pair of Gold Wall Sconces by Leonardo Marelli for Estiluz. Model: A-9000 Gold. These fixtures were designed and manufactured in Barcelona (Spain) by Estiluz during 19...
Metal
French Postmodern Ceramic Table Lamp, Private Detective, by J.C. Peiré, 1980s
By JC Peire
Located in Lille, FR
Jean-Claude Peiré built his signature in the 1980s with a series of ceramic light fixtures reimagining everyday objects at full scale — a tennis racket, a weightlifter's arm, a boxin...
Ceramic
Postmodern Gold Metal Wall Sconce by Estiluz, Barcelona, 1980s
By Estiluz Lighting, Estiluz, Leonardo Marelli
Located in Badajoz, Badajoz
Cool Postmodern Gold "Mate" Wall Sconce by Leonardo Marelli for Estiluz. Model: A-9000 Gold. This fixture was designed and manufactured in Barcelona (Spain) by Estiluz during 1980s. ...
Metal
Gianemilio, Piero and Anna Monti for Candle 'Luna' Table Lamp in Fiberglass
By Gianemilio Piero and Anna Monti, Candle
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gianemilio, Piero and Anna Monti (Studio di Architettura GPA Monti) for Candle, 'Luna' table or floor lamp, chrome-plated steel, fiberglass, Italy, 1968 This remarkable lamp acquired several affectionate nicknames in our team, like "mushroom" or "cloud" — a reflection of its playful and highly sculptural presence. Its original name, however, is Luna, a reference to the clustered fiberglass domes...
Steel, Chrome
Sergio Asti for Martinelli Luce ‘Profiterole’ Floor or Table Lamp in Fiberglass
By Martinelli Luce, Sergio Asti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Sergio Asti for Martinelli Luce, ‘Profiterole’, floor or table lamp, model ‘640’, fiberglass, plastic, Lucca, Italy, 1968 A captivating fusion of both functionality and artistic exp...
Plastic, Fiberglass
$1,050Sale Price|30% Off
1970s Cascading Waterfall Chrome Waterfall Floor Lamp Attr Sonneman
Located in Toronto, ON
Stunning chrome cascading waterfall floor lamp attributed to Robert Sonneman. It was made in the 1970s. T This table lamp has a gorgeous waterfall form which features five cascading ...
Brass
Mariyo Yagi for Sirrah 'Garbo' Chandelier in Nylon
By Sirrah, Mariyo Yagi
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mariyo Yagi for Sirrah, 'Garbo' chandelier, metal, nylon, Italy, 1976 Enchanting 'Garbo' fringe chandelier designed by Japanese designer Mariyo Yagi and manufactured by Sirrah. The ...
Metal
Midcentury Gold Metal Wall Sconce by Estiluz, Barcelona, 1980s
By Leonardo Marelli, Estiluz Lighting, Estiluz
Located in Badajoz, Badajoz
Cool Postmodern Gold Wall Sconce by Leonardo Marelli for Estiluz. Model: A-1180 Oro. This fixture was designed and manufactured in Barcelona (Spain) by Estiluz during 1980s. “Estilu...
Metal
Midcentury Pair of Gold Metal Wall Sconces by Estiluz, Barcelona, 1980s
By Estiluz Lighting, Estiluz, Leonardo Marelli
Located in Badajoz, Badajoz
Cool Postmodern Pair of Gold Wall Sconces by Leonardo Marelli for Estiluz. Model: A-1184 Oro. These fixtures were designed and manufactured in Barcelona (Spain) by Estiluz during 198...
Metal
Post Modern George Kovacs Robert Sonneman Modern chrome floor Lamp
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Robert Sonneman Chromed Steel Tube bent Floor Lamp. Circa. 1970s Comes with light bulb. 120v plug H 46" L 24"
Steel, Chrome
Sculptural "Cushion" Table Lamp in Fiberglass Resin by Hajime Goto, Japan, 1980s
By Andre Cazenave, Hajime Goto
Located in Lille, FR
Hajime Goto Fiberglass "Cushion" Table Lamp, Japan, 1980s Japanese designer Hajime Goto is best known for this iconic series of sculptural lamps inspired by the soft, organic form o...
Resin
Flute of Chicago Postmodern Corrugated Cardboard Table Lamp in Red, 1980s
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A bold, sculptural table lamp by Flute of Chicago, designed by Gregory Van Pelt in the 1980s Postmodern idiom — often cited as "in the manner of" Frank Gehry's Easy Edges cardboard f...
Corrugated Cardboard
Olivier Mourgue for Disderot Flower Lamp
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Olivier Mourgue for Disderot, floor lamp, model '2093-150', chrome-plated metal, aluminum, France, 1967. An exquisitely distinctive floor lamp designed to captivate. Conceived by ...
Metal, Aluminum
Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova 'Cometa' Floor Lamp in Perspex and Aluminum
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, floor lamp, model 'Cometa' no. L026, acrylic, lacquered metal, chrome, Italy, 1970 Funky and easy to love floor lamp designed by Ettore Sottsass for ...
Chrome
Sculptural "Cushion" Table Lamp in Fiberglass Resin by Hajime Goto, Japan, 1980s
By Andre Cazenave, Hajime Goto
Located in Lille, FR
Hajime Goto Amber Fiberglass "Cushion" Table Lamp, Japan, 1980s Japanese designer Hajime Goto is best known for this iconic series of sculptural lamps inspired by the soft, organic ...
Resin
Postmodern Aluminium Sconce "Cyrano" by Bernard Dequet for Lucien Gau, 1990s.
By Maison Lucien Gau, Philippe Starck
Located in Lille, FR
**"Cyrano" Aluminum Wall Sconce by Bernard Dequet for Lucien Gau, France, 1990s** Founded in Paris in 1860, **Lucien Gau** is one of France's most renowned lighting manufacturers, c...
Aluminum
Post modern Joe Colombo Floor lamp 3321 Black Gloss
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Joe Colombo Floor lamp 3321. Pre owned Coupe Floor Lamp in black adjustable, an original Joe Colombo design (circa 1967) for Oluce model 3321. Oluce's 1960s Coupe floor lamps pairs a...
Metal
Postmodern Banana Floor Lamp by Heico, Plastic, Germany, 1980s Design
By Heico
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern floor lamp in the shape of a banana. An object in style of postmodern design and art movements like memphis. A unique object and rare eye-catcher. This lamp is shaped lik...
Plastic
Mario Bellini for Artemide Table or Floor Lamp 'Circo' in Off-White Canvas
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Bellini for Artemide, table or floor lamp, lacquered metal, canvas, Italy, 1978. Quirky and quite unique, this 'circo' table lamp designed by Mario Bellini, is a true example...
Metal
Rare Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Table Lamp with Reflective Screen
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, table lamp, model '611/g-p', aluminum, lacquered steel, chrome-plated steel, Italy, 1973 Very rare table lamp designed by the visionary Italian designer ...
Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
Vintage Wrought Iron Chandelier Candleholder by Ehlén Johansson for Ikea, 1990s
By IKEA
Located in Hamburg, DE
Vintage Wrought Iron Chandelier Candleholder by Ehlén Johansson for Ikea, 1990s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1990 to 1999 I have ...
Wrought Iron
Adjustable Brass Pharmacy Style Floor Reading Lamp att. to Koch and Lowy c 1980s
Located in New York, NY
Sleek adjustable pharmacy style floor lamp, in sophisticated satin brass finish. The lamp is adjustable in height ( 52.5" - 57" ) the shade tilts, and the vertical post swivels ton ...
Brass
$728Sale Price|20% Off
Postmodern German Lumibär Bear Floor Lamp by Klein & Leidig for Flötotto, 1990s
Located in Hamburg, DE
The Lumibär is a design classic from Flötotto. The bright bear. Not just something for the children's room. The design is so simple that it also fits wonderfully as a light object...
Plastic
Ralph Lauren Chrome and Black Leather Desk or Table Lamp
By Ralph Lauren
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Good-looking Ralph Lauren dual-bulb table lamp designed and made in America. Made mostly of steel throughout, chromed and overlaid with leather. This results in a super stylized look...
Chrome, Steel
$1,175 / item
Several Glass Amber Pedant Lights, Doria, 1960s
Located in Rijssen, NL
1 of the18 Cascade lamps in a bubble design, model 4309, manufactured by Doria. It is suitable especially for high ceilings and lounge areas. The four large glass bubbles create a be...
Metal
Cobweb Chainmail Chandelier, Hand-Linked, Steel, Post-Modern, Panorammma
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
A fusion of medieval craftsmanship and modern gothic elegance, the Chainmail Cobweb Chandelier evokes the ethereal beauty of a spider’s web. Meticulously handcrafted from interwoven ...
Steel
Ron Rezek Table Lamp 1980s
By Ron Rezek
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Post-modern table lamp by Los Angeles lighting designer Ron Rezek, c.1980s. The lamp features a black enameled metal frame and removable black shade with polished brass ring accent t...
Metal
Vintage Space Age Papillona Floor Lamp by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Flos, 1970s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern floor lamp by the Italian manufacturer Flos after a design by Afra & Tobia Scarpa from the 70s. This design convinces with its imposing height of almost 2m. The filigree ...
Metal
Vico Magistretti for O-Luce 'Atollo' First Edition '233' Table Lamp
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Vico Magistretti for O-Luce, 'Atollo' lamp, first edition model '233', aluminum, Italy, 1977 The Atollo lighting object, designed by Vico Magistretti in 1977, stands as one of his m...
Aluminum
Large Unique Postmodern Table Lamp in Brushed Steel 1970s
Located in Meer, VAN
Large Unique Postmodern Table Lamp in Brushed Steel 1970s A truly remarkable one-off postmodern table lamp in brushed steel. The Netherlands, late 1970s. This sculptural table lamp...
Steel
$1,175 / item
Postmodern Modern Black Round Chandelier Art Nouveau
Located in Berlin, DE
Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of postmodernism and experience pure elegance with our breathtaking black chandelier decorated with crystals. This work of art of lighting m...
Crystal, Metal
Kooij Tol 3 Floor Lamp by Dirk van der Kooij
Located in Toronto, ON
Tol, Dutch for spinning top, is so named for its deceptive stance in suspended motion. The series of alternating totems sit comfortably—softly grounded in their obtuse proportions. T...
Brass
Pete Sans for Taller Uno. Post-Modern table/floor lamp, Spain, 1980s
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Post-Modern table or floor lamp designed by Pete Sans for Taller Uno, Spain, 1980s. "Jellyfish" model lamp, 1984. Made of polished aluminum and sewn parchment shade. Its shape evokes...
Aluminum
Neri & Hu 3T09 Bronze Structure and Ivory Fabric 3 Modules Wall Lamp for Cassina
$13,800 / item
Gjlla Giani for Nucleo Sormani ‘Radar’ Table Lamps
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gjlla Giani for the Nucleo Division of Sormani, 'Radar' table lamps, pewter and glass, Italy, 1971 This rare pair of table lamps is designed by the Italian architect Gjlla Giani for...
Pewter
Italian Model Tabla Table Lamp by Mario Barbaglia and Marco Colombo, 1980s
By Mario Barbaglia and Marco Colombo
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern table lamp from the Italian manufacturer Italiana Luce based on a design by Mario Barbaglia and Marco Colombo from the 80s. Sculptural table lamp with a changeable shape....
Metal
Gae Aulenti for Francesconi ‘Singa’ Lamp
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gae Aulenti for Francesconi, ‘Singa’ lamp, plastic, steel, chrome-plated steel, Italy, 1975 This rare ‘Singa’ lamp is designed by Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti for Ita...
Steel, Chrome
1970s Glamorous Guido Polloni Chandelier in Colored Glass (50cm/19.6in)
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Guido Polloni chandelier, glass, Italy, 1970s This exquisite chandelier by glass artist Guido Polloni is crafted in Italy in the 1970s. This light embodies the extreme glamour and b...
Glass
up-lighter Floor lamp Tronconi - design Barbieri & Marianelli - model 'Frack'
Located in Den Haag, NL
Vintage 1980s floor lamp designed by the Italian company Tronconi, designed by Barbieri and Marianelli, model 'Frack' Stylish and sleek design, design from 1984. The lamp consists o...
Metal
Rare Pop Art Tulip Floor Lamp in Green & Red Painted Metal by Peter Bliss 1980s
By Bliss
Located in Lisse, NL
Unique and very cool British Pop Art floor lamp by Peter Bliss. For the collectors, design lovers and enthousiasts of pop art, we are offering this very rare and stylized tulip floo...
Metal
A Radical MURANO Glass TABLE LAMP by FRANCO RAGGI, by FONTANA ARTE, Italy 1970
By Fontana Arte
Located in PARIS, FR
A large and airy table lamp, Post-Modernist, Shabby-Chic, Memphis, circular base in cast aluminum with integrated dimmer, 2 axes supporting 2 sheets of glass with white diffusing dec...
Metal, Chrome
Italian Postmodern Model Pao T2 Table Lamp by Matteo Thun for Arteluce, 1990s
By Matteo Thun
Located in Hamburg, DE
The large T2 table lamp version from the Pao lamp series by Matteo Thun. Here in a rare version with a shaft made of light beech wood. The Pao lights impress with their characterist...
Glass, Wood
Ettore Sottsass for Design Centre/Poltronova ‘Bruco’ Wall Lights
By Poltronova, Design Centre, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ettore Sottsass for Design Centre/Poltronova, ‘Bruco’ wall light from the Mobili Grigi series, chrome-plated brass, methacrylate (translucent Perspex), enameled aluminum, Italy, 1970 This ‘Bruco’ wall light is created by Ettore Sottsass as part of the Mobili Grigi collection for Poltronova and produced by Design Centre in 1970. The advancements in lamp technology have influenced the design of lighting fixtures. The Bruco light was created as a result of the use of breakthrough materials and technologies of the seventies. Designer...
Brass, Chrome
Vintage Danish Spherical Ceramic Table Lamp w. Pink Glaze, 1980s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A 1980s Danish table light by Lamperiet Aarhus. The ceramic ball base features a monochrome pink glaze and the light comes installed with a fluted white shade. Measurements: H: 36 ...
Ceramic
A SHABBY-CHIC BAROQUE NEO-CLASSICAL Sculptural Bronze TABLE LAMP, France 1980.
By Philippe Anthonioz
Located in PARIS, FR
An elegant and sculptural very large table lamp (or small floor lamp) of organic, plant inspiration, Post-Modernist, Neo-Baroque, rectangular base and vertical axis with sculpted bronze body with gunmetal patina, in the spirit of Philippe Anthonioz...
Bronze
Charles And Ray Eames Dot Pattern Light Suspension 6 Spheres Lamp by Cassina
By Charles and Ray Eames, Cassina
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Charles And Ray Eames Dot Pattern Light Suspension 6 Spheres Lamp by Cassina ICONIC PATTERN Initially created for a textile design competition launched in 1947 by the Museum of Mod...
Aluminum
Ennio Lucini for Harvey Guzzini Dh 'Cespuglio' Table Lamp
By Ennio Lucini, Harvey Guzzini
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ennio Lucini for Harvey Guzzini DH (Design House), 'Cespuglio' table lamp, aluminum, acrylic, Italy, 1968 This provocative 'Cespuglio' table lamp (1968) is designed by Ennio Lucini ...
Aluminum
Ralph Lauren Chrome and Brown Leather Desk or Table Lamp
By Ralph Lauren
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Good-looking Ralph Lauren table lamp designed and made in America. Made mostly of steel throughout, chromed and overlaid with leather. This results in a super stylized look that stan...
Chrome
$1,506Sale Price / set|20% Off
Post-Modern style. Sculptural ceramic table lamps, Spain, 1980s
By Hispania CH, Cerámicas BONDIA
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Sculptural ceramic table lamps, Spain, 1980s. Made of ceramic with an abstract shape similar to a rock, with a light gray glazed finish and hand-painted with splashes of black paint....
Ceramic, Opaline Glass, Paint
Gianfranco Fini for New Lamp 'Programma' Wall Light in Stainless Steel
By New Lamp
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gianfranco Fini for New Lamp, 'Programma' lamp, stainless steel, circa 1970 Expressive wall light by Italian designer Gianfranco Fini designed in circa 1970. Fini, who is known for...
Stainless Steel
Postmodern German Model Minispot Table Lamp from Osram, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern table or wall lamp from Osram. A functional design with postmodern details. The cubic base primarily consists of the cladding of the transformer. On the outside it is dec...
Metal
$1,900Sale Price / set|50% Off
Pair of Pierre Disderot Verre Lumiere French 1980s Gold Wall Lamps
By Verre Lumière, Pierre Disderot
Located in New York, NY
An original pair of French Post Modern gold plated steel modernist wall lamps designed by Pierre Disderot for Verre Lumiere, 1982. Rewired. A sleek Post Deco design. Signed. Verre L...
Gold, Steel
Pendant Chainmail Droplet, Hand-Linked, 80cm, Steel with Brass Finish, Mexico
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Single Pendant Chainmail Droplet Sculptural Chandelier is a beautiful hand made light piece. A chainmail web in a brass finish hugs the lamp’s canopy; as the knit becomes tighter, th...
Steel
Memphis Milano Tahiti Lamp by Ettore Sottsass
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Toronto, ON
Tahiti, a masterpiece by Ettore Sottsass, is an ironic lamp with a zoomorphic shape that recalls childhood games: a lamp is hidden in the head, ideal for lighting a table. The base w...
Metal
Very cool pop art Post Modern table lamp with colorful Resin Pretzels sculpture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Very cool pop art Post Modern lamp featuring a central frosted white light column supporting a vertical stack of resin pretzels. Each pretzel topped with a crystalline granular textu...
Resin, Acrylic
Roger Tallon for Erco 'Spot' Wall Lights
By Erco, Roger Tallon
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Roger Tallon for Erco, 'Spot' wall lights, iron, lacquered metal, metal, plastic, France, 1970s. These wall lamps are icons made by Erco and designed by the French designer Roger Ta...
Metal
Paul Evans for Directional 'Cityscape' Floor Lamp
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Paul Evans for Directional, 'Cityscape' floor lamp, model PE-4010 from the PE200 series, chrome-plated steel, brass, United States, circa 1975 This distinctive floor lamp from the ...
Brass, Steel, Chrome
A Pair Of Travertine and Brass Floor Lamps By Michael Taylor
Located in London, GB
A Pair of floor lamps from the post modern era by American designer Michael Taylor, with travertine bases supporting a tapering stem with travertine sphere decorated with brass accen...
Travertine, Brass, Iron