Skip to main content

Postmodern Memphis Lamp

to
9
60
51
115
5
3
115
2
4
82
1
5
49
3
97
24
20
17
13
63
43
31
29
8
115
115
115
10
7
6
5
4
Sort By
Martine Bedin Super Memphis Milano Postmodern
Martine Bedin Super Memphis Milano Postmodern

Martine Bedin Super Memphis Milano Postmodern

By Memphis Group, Martine Bedin

Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

movable. Iconic one in Memphis Milano and 1980s Postmodern designs.  

Category

Vintage 1980s European Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Stainless Steel

Martine Bedin 1st Edition Super Lamp, Memphis Milano, Postmodern, Italy, 1980s
Martine Bedin 1st Edition Super Lamp, Memphis Milano, Postmodern, Italy, 1980s

Martine Bedin 1st Edition Super Lamp, Memphis Milano, Postmodern, Italy, 1980s

By Martine Bedin, Memphis Group

Located in Vienna, AT

Early first edition postmodern Super lamp, designed by Martine Bedin in 1981 for Memphis Group. To

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Memphis Group Floor Lamps

Materials

Metal

Ettore Sottsas Tahiti Memphis Milano Postmodern
Ettore Sottsas Tahiti Memphis Milano Postmodern

Ettore Sottsas Tahiti Memphis Milano Postmodern

By Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass

Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Ettore Sottsass's Tahiti lamp. Materpiece of 1980s design.        

Category

Vintage 1980s European Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Stainless Steel

Michele de Lucchi Oceanic Memphis Milano Postmodern
Michele de Lucchi Oceanic Memphis Milano Postmodern

Michele de Lucchi Oceanic Memphis Milano Postmodern

By Memphis Group, Michele de Lucchi

Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Michele de Lucchi's oceanic lamp. Materpiece of 1980s design.    

Category

Vintage 1980s European Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Stainless Steel

1980s Postmodern Black and White Table Lamp
1980s Postmodern Black and White Table Lamp

1980s Postmodern Black and White Table Lamp

By Memphis Milano

Located in Brooklyn, NY

A stunning 1980s postmodern table lamp by Be Yang in the Memphis Milano style. A black metal base

Category

Late 20th Century Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Multidirectional Postmodern Snake Table Lamp Memphis Era
Multidirectional Postmodern Snake Table Lamp Memphis Era

Multidirectional Postmodern Snake Table Lamp Memphis Era

By Isao Hosoe

Located in San Diego, CA

Flexible and pivoting 1980s lamp multidirectional snake movable neck. White enameled shade rewired

Category

20th Century Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Postmodern Memphis-Style Angled Metal Table Lamp
Postmodern Memphis-Style Angled Metal Table Lamp

Postmodern Memphis-Style Angled Metal Table Lamp

Located in Chicago, IL

Well made and designed post modern table lamp. Three angled iron bars fixed to iron plate base

Category

Late 20th Century American Table Lamps

Materials

Iron

Vintage Postmodern Memphis Wave Metal Lamps - a Pair
Vintage Postmodern Memphis Wave Metal Lamps - a Pair

Vintage Postmodern Memphis Wave Metal Lamps - a Pair

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

A fantastic pair of vintage Postmodern table lamps. The coveted Memphis style wave in a black metal

Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

1980's Postmodern Memphis era Table desk Lamp
1980's Postmodern Memphis era Table desk Lamp

1980's Postmodern Memphis era Table desk Lamp

By Ettore Sottsass

Located in San Diego, CA

Very cool enameled metal desk table lamp great condition circa 1980's a classic postmodern design

Category

20th Century Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Postmodern IKEA Table Lamp, Metal & Plastic, Memphis Style, 1980s
Postmodern IKEA Table Lamp, Metal & Plastic, Memphis Style, 1980s

Postmodern IKEA Table Lamp, Metal & Plastic, Memphis Style, 1980s

By IKEA

Located in Hamburg, DE

Postmodern table lamp from Ikea from the 1980s. Made in Italy. Colored table lamp in Memphis style

Category

20th Century Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Postmodern Stone Table Lamp, Green, Memphis Style, 1980s, Europe
Postmodern Stone Table Lamp, Green, Memphis Style, 1980s, Europe

Postmodern Stone Table Lamp, Green, Memphis Style, 1980s, Europe

Located in Hamburg, DE

Postmodern Stone Table Lamp, 1980s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1980 to 1989. European Plug

Category

20th Century Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Stone

MEMPHIS "ASHOKA" Table Lamp / Ettore Sottsass (Italy) / PostModern Early
MEMPHIS "ASHOKA" Table Lamp / Ettore Sottsass (Italy) / PostModern Early

MEMPHIS "ASHOKA" Table Lamp / Ettore Sottsass (Italy) / PostModern Early

By Ettore Sottsass

Located in Tinton Falls, NJ

unstable stack of playful geometric forms. Though it seems “de-structured,” the lamp is actually well

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Italian Postmodern Aldo Cibic Table Lamp, Memphis-Milano -1980s
Italian Postmodern Aldo Cibic Table Lamp, Memphis-Milano -1980s

Italian Postmodern Aldo Cibic Table Lamp, Memphis-Milano -1980s

By Aldo Cibic

Located in Renens, CH

Drimmer, as part of a series of lamps from the Memphis-Milano group. Materials: Aluminium, glass

Category

Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Aluminum

MEMPHIS "TREETOPS" Floor Lamp / Ettore Sottsass (Italy) / PostModern Design
MEMPHIS "TREETOPS" Floor Lamp / Ettore Sottsass (Italy) / PostModern Design

MEMPHIS "TREETOPS" Floor Lamp / Ettore Sottsass (Italy) / PostModern Design

By Ettore Sottsass

Located in Tinton Falls, NJ

, this floor lamp will stand out in a living room, study, or bedroom, infusing a colorful flair. This

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Metal

80s Pop Art Desk Lamp in the Postmodern Memphis Style
80s Pop Art Desk Lamp in the Postmodern Memphis Style

80s Pop Art Desk Lamp in the Postmodern Memphis Style

Located in Montecalvoli, IT

80s Pop Art desk lamp in the postmodern Memphis Style 80s 90s Postmodern desk lamp that can be

Category

20th Century Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Postmodern Torchiere Floor Lamp by Ron Rezek Memphis Era
Postmodern Torchiere Floor Lamp by Ron Rezek Memphis Era

Postmodern Torchiere Floor Lamp by Ron Rezek Memphis Era

By Ron Rezek

Located in San Diego, CA

Rare floor Torchiere lamp in brushed steel finish with brass accents and dimmer switch, circa 1980s

Category

20th Century American Post-Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass, Steel

MEMPHIS "TERMINUS" Table Lamp / Michele De Lucchi (Italy) / PostModern Early
MEMPHIS "TERMINUS" Table Lamp / Michele De Lucchi (Italy) / PostModern Early

MEMPHIS "TERMINUS" Table Lamp / Michele De Lucchi (Italy) / PostModern Early

By Michele de Lucchi

Located in Tinton Falls, NJ

Designed by Michele De Lucchi, the OCEANIC lamp, a mysterious stylized creature, has become one of

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Memphis Style Postmodern Color Blocked Plaster Table Lamp, 1980's
Memphis Style Postmodern Color Blocked Plaster Table Lamp, 1980's

Memphis Style Postmodern Color Blocked Plaster Table Lamp, 1980's

Located in Lambertville, NJ

Memphis style color blocked table lamp, circa 1980's. This sculptural modern form lamp features a

Category

Vintage 1980s Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Plaster

Set of 2 Red Vintage Table Lamps Postmodern Memphis Design Italy, 1980s
Set of 2 Red Vintage Table Lamps Postmodern Memphis Design Italy, 1980s

Set of 2 Red Vintage Table Lamps Postmodern Memphis Design Italy, 1980s

Located in Montecalvoli, IT

Set of 2 red vintage table lamps Postmodern Memphis design Italy, 1980s This extraordinary set of

Category

20th Century Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Postmodern Original Splendid Floor Lamp by Martine Bedin, Italy, 1980s
Postmodern Original Splendid Floor Lamp by Martine Bedin, Italy, 1980s

Postmodern Original Splendid Floor Lamp by Martine Bedin, Italy, 1980s

By Martine Bedin, Memphis Group

Located in Renens, CH

bulbs, creating a rather distinctive and sculptural presence. The Splendid lamp reflects Memphis

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Metal

Postmodern Desk Lamps in the manner of Memphis Milano, Set of 2
Postmodern Desk Lamps in the manner of Memphis Milano, Set of 2

Postmodern Desk Lamps in the manner of Memphis Milano, Set of 2

Located in Niederdorfelden, Hessen

Elegant set of two extremely rare Postmodern metal Table Arc Lamps. Exceptional functionality

Category

1990s German Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Chrome, Metal

Postmodern Memphis Style Rhombus Glass Lamp Chandelier, Italy
Postmodern Memphis Style Rhombus Glass Lamp Chandelier, Italy

Postmodern Memphis Style Rhombus Glass Lamp Chandelier, Italy

By Memphis Group

Located in Vienna, AT

Cool 27.5" wide melted glass lamp from the late 1980s Italy Postmodern Memphis style ceiling

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Materials

Steel

Postmodern Memphis School Zen Floor Lamp by Gismondi for Artimede Made in Italy
Postmodern Memphis School Zen Floor Lamp by Gismondi for Artimede Made in Italy

Postmodern Memphis School Zen Floor Lamp by Gismondi for Artimede Made in Italy

By Ernesto Gismondi, Artimide

Located in New York, NY

Iconic Post - Modern, Memphis style halogen uplight floor lamp, designed by Ernesto Gismondi for

Category

Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Aluminum, Steel

XL 80s Pop Art Desklamp In Postmodern Memphis Style, 80s, 90s
XL 80s Pop Art Desklamp In Postmodern Memphis Style, 80s, 90s

XL 80s Pop Art Desklamp In Postmodern Memphis Style, 80s, 90s

Located in Montecalvoli, IT

XL 80s Pop Art Desklamp in Postmodern Memphis Style, 80s, 90s Very nice and rare postmodern desk

Category

20th Century Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Rare postmodern Memphis Style Terrazzo "EON" Table light by IKEA, Sweden 1990s
Rare postmodern Memphis Style Terrazzo "EON" Table light by IKEA, Sweden 1990s

Rare postmodern Memphis Style Terrazzo "EON" Table light by IKEA, Sweden 1990s

By IKEA

Located in Kirchlengern, DE

vintage table light in a unique vintage Memphis design. The object was designed and produced by IKEA in

Category

Late 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Glass, Pine

Postmodern Halogen Table Lamp Style of Robert Sonneman for George Kovacs
Postmodern Halogen Table Lamp Style of Robert Sonneman for George Kovacs

Postmodern Halogen Table Lamp Style of Robert Sonneman for George Kovacs

By Robert Sonneman

Located in Linkebeek, BE

Postmodern - Desk lamp - Memphis Designer Light Measures : 43x12cm H:38cm Materials : Glass

Category

20th Century Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Pair of French Postmodern Table Lamps by Robert Kostka Enameled Forest Green
Pair of French Postmodern Table Lamps by Robert Kostka Enameled Forest Green

Pair of French Postmodern Table Lamps by Robert Kostka Enameled Forest Green

By Robert Kostka

Located in San Diego, CA

Fantastic rare pair of enameled forest green Memphis era postmodern table lamps, by Robert Kostka

Category

20th Century French Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Iconic Postmodern Halogen Mack  Floor Lamp by George Kovack for Sonneman c 1980s
Iconic Postmodern Halogen Mack  Floor Lamp by George Kovack for Sonneman c 1980s

Iconic Postmodern Halogen Mack Floor Lamp by George Kovack for Sonneman c 1980s

By Sonneman Lighting, George Kovacs

Located in New York, NY

Quintessential 1980's Postmodern, Memphis School design floor lamp, in excellent, original, clean

Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Metal

Vintage Aluminum Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s
Vintage Aluminum Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s

Vintage Aluminum Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s

Located in Montecalvoli, IT

Vintage Aluminum Ceiling Lamp – 1980s Postmodern Memphis Style, Bubbly Style, Yellow Gold Striped

Category

20th Century Post-Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Materials

Aluminum

Vintage Aluminum Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s
Vintage Aluminum Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s

Vintage Aluminum Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s

Located in Montecalvoli, IT

Vintage Aluminum Ceiling Lamp - 1980s Postmodern Memphis Style - Purple & Green, Striped Cable, Pop

Category

20th Century Post-Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Materials

Aluminum

Vintage Metal Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s
Vintage Metal Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s

Vintage Metal Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s

Located in Montecalvoli, IT

Vintage Metal Ceiling Lamp – 1980s Postmodern Memphis Style, Purple, Green, Silver, Striped Cable

Category

20th Century Post-Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Materials

Metal

Retro Metal Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s
Retro Metal Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s

Retro Metal Ceiling Lamp Postmodern Memphis Style, 1980s

Located in Montecalvoli, IT

Retro Metal Ceiling Lamp – 1980s Postmodern Memphis Style, Purple, Silver, Green, Striped Cable

Category

20th Century Post-Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Materials

Metal

Vintage Metal Table Lamp - Adjustable Desk Lamp, Italy, 1980s
Vintage Metal Table Lamp - Adjustable Desk Lamp, Italy, 1980s

Vintage Metal Table Lamp - Adjustable Desk Lamp, Italy, 1980s

Located in Montecalvoli, IT

Vintage metal table lamp - Adjustable desk lamp - Postmodern Memphis Style - Italy 1980s Now free

Category

20th Century Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Post Modern Saturn Desk Lamp by Sonneman circa 1980's
Post Modern Saturn Desk Lamp by Sonneman circa 1980's

Post Modern Saturn Desk Lamp by Sonneman circa 1980's

By Sonneman Lighting

Located in New York, NY

Postmodern Memphis style desk / table lamp by Sonneman circa 1980's. The lamp features an oval

Category

Early 20th Century American Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Marble, Metal

Pair of Mid-Century Modern Memphis Style Table Lamps Postmodern Glass / Chrome
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Memphis Style Table Lamps Postmodern Glass / Chrome

Pair of Mid-Century Modern Memphis Style Table Lamps Postmodern Glass / Chrome

By Memphis Group

Located in Miami, FL

These lamps have a very unique look, though vintage they have a very post modern, Memphis look

Category

Mid-20th Century American Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

1980s Memphis Milano Group Style Floor Lamp Uplighter Postmodern Vintage
1980s Memphis Milano Group Style Floor Lamp Uplighter Postmodern Vintage

1980s Memphis Milano Group Style Floor Lamp Uplighter Postmodern Vintage

By 1001 Lamps

Located in London, GB

Memphis Group inspired of floor lamp by 1001 Lamps in black coated matte paint with red stripes

Category

Vintage 1980s British Post-Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Metal

Unique Mid-Century Postmodern Peter Shire Memphis Style Sculptural Tri-Pod Lamp
Unique Mid-Century Postmodern Peter Shire Memphis Style Sculptural Tri-Pod Lamp

Unique Mid-Century Postmodern Peter Shire Memphis Style Sculptural Tri-Pod Lamp

By Memphis Group

Located in Miami, FL

Unique lamp constructed mostly of aluminum with copper accents and some color glass balls on the

Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Aluminum, Copper

Martine Bedin Super Lamp Memphis Milano Italian Postmodern, Museum Provenance
Martine Bedin Super Lamp Memphis Milano Italian Postmodern, Museum Provenance

Martine Bedin Super Lamp Memphis Milano Italian Postmodern, Museum Provenance

By Martine Bedin, Memphis Group

Located in London, GB

Designed in 1981 by Martine Bedin for Memphis Milano. Fibreglass. Ceramic bulb holders and

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Ceramic, Fiberglass, Rubber

Postmodern "Onda 1" Floor Lamp by Marco Zanusso Jr., prototype for Memphis, 1988
Postmodern "Onda 1" Floor Lamp by Marco Zanusso Jr., prototype for Memphis, 1988

Postmodern "Onda 1" Floor Lamp by Marco Zanusso Jr., prototype for Memphis, 1988

By Memphis Milano, Marco Zanuso Jr.

Located in București, B

The "Onda 1" floor lamp was designed by Marco Zanusso Jr. for Memphis Milano in 1988. This totemic

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Unique Postmodern Memphis Style Table Lamp Offered by La Porte
Unique Postmodern Memphis Style Table Lamp Offered by La Porte

Unique Postmodern Memphis Style Table Lamp Offered by La Porte

Located in Southampton, NY

This is a very interesting form table lamp. Postmodern era and reminiscent of the great creator of

Category

Late 20th Century Unknown Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Tablelamp by Lungean & Pellmann Lighting Memphis Postmodern Design Germany 1980s
Tablelamp by Lungean & Pellmann Lighting Memphis Postmodern Design Germany 1980s

Tablelamp by Lungean & Pellmann Lighting Memphis Postmodern Design Germany 1980s

By Brilliant Leuchten AG

Located in Vienna, AT

A very strong example of Italian postmodern design of the early 1980s manufactured by Brilliant

Category

Vintage 1980s German Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Metal

Set of two German postmodern, Memphis wall lamps in Lucite and metal
Set of two German postmodern, Memphis wall lamps in Lucite and metal

Set of two German postmodern, Memphis wall lamps in Lucite and metal

Located in MONTREUIL, FR

Set of two postmodern, Memphis wall lamps in Lucite and metal from Germany, c. 1980.

Category

Vintage 1980s German Wall Lights and Sconces

Materials

Metal

Memphis Postmodern Lamps, 1980
Memphis Postmodern Lamps, 1980

Memphis Postmodern Lamps, 1980

By Memphis Group

Located in Chicago, IL

Pair of Memphis Postmodern table lamps attributed to Ettore Sottsass, circa 1980s. Cantilevered

Category

Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Steel

Postmodern Memphis Era Multidirectional Small Desk or Table Eye Lamp
Postmodern Memphis Era Multidirectional Small Desk or Table Eye Lamp

Postmodern Memphis Era Multidirectional Small Desk or Table Eye Lamp

By Memphis Group

Located in San Diego, CA

A very cool and unique multidirectional desk table lamp, the eyeball moves any way you want to

Category

20th Century Hong Kong Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Plastic

Postmodern Italian Memphis Style Green Blue White Orange Murano Glass Lamps
Postmodern Italian Memphis Style Green Blue White Orange Murano Glass Lamps

Postmodern Italian Memphis Style Green Blue White Orange Murano Glass Lamps

By Memphis Group

Located in New York, NY

A 1980s unique pair of colorful Italian Murano glass lamps in the style of Ettore Sottsass for

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Brass

Italian Postmodern Ettore Sottsass Memphis Group Attributed Torchere Floor Lamp
Italian Postmodern Ettore Sottsass Memphis Group Attributed Torchere Floor Lamp

Italian Postmodern Ettore Sottsass Memphis Group Attributed Torchere Floor Lamp

By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group, Tony Duquette

Located in Houston, TX

Italian Postmodern Ettore Sottsass Memphis Group attributed Torchere floor lamp. Interesting

Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Stainless Steel

  • 1
Get Updated with New Arrivals
Save "Postmodern Memphis Lamp", and we’ll notify you when there are new listings in this category.

Postmodern Memphis Lamp For Sale on 1stDibs

Find many varieties of an authentic postmodern memphis lamp available at 1stDibs. Frequently made of metal, glass and plastic, every postmodern memphis lamp was constructed with great care. If you’re shopping for a postmodern memphis lamp, we have 68 options in-stock, while there are 2 modern editions to choose from as well. There are many kinds of the postmodern memphis lamp you’re looking for, from those produced as long ago as the 20th Century to those made as recently as the 21st Century. A postmodern memphis lamp, designed in the Mid-Century Modern or Modern style, is generally a popular piece of furniture. Many designers have produced at least one well-made postmodern memphis lamp over the years, but those crafted by Memphis Group, Martine Bedin and Ettore Sottsass are often thought to be among the most beautiful.

How Much is a Postmodern Memphis Lamp?

A postmodern memphis lamp can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $1,750, while the lowest priced sells for $275 and the highest can go for as much as $7,500.

A Close Look at Post-modern Furniture

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

  • Emerges during the 1960s; popularity explodes during the ’80s
  • A reaction to prevailing conventions of modernism by mainly American architects
  • Architect Robert Venturi critiques modern architecture in his Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966)
  • Theorist Charles Jencks, who championed architecture filled with allusions and cultural references, writes The Language of Post-Modern Architecture (1977)
  • Italian design collective the Memphis Group, also known as Memphis Milano, meets for the first time (1980) 
  • Memphis collective debuts more than 50 objects and furnishings at Salone del Milano (1981)
  • Interest in style declines, minimalism gains steam

CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Dizzying graphic patterns and an emphasis on loud, off-the-wall colors
  • Use of plastic and laminates, glass, metal and marble; lacquered and painted wood 
  • Unconventional proportions and abundant ornamentation
  • Playful nods to Art Deco and Pop art

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 Mendinia 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.

Finding the Right Lighting for You

The right table lamp, outwardly sculptural chandelier or understated wall pendant can work wonders for your home. While we’re indebted to thinkers like Thomas Edison for critically important advancements in lighting and electricity, we’re still finding new ways to customize illumination to fit our personal spaces all these years later. A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs.

Today, lighting designers like the self-taught Bec Brittain have used the flexible structure of LEDs to craft glamorous solutions by working with what is typically considered a harsh lighting source. By integrating glass and mirrors, reflection can be used to soften the glow from LEDs and warmly welcome light into any space.

Although contemporary innovators continue to impress, some of the classics can’t be beat. 

Just as gazing at the stars allows you to glimpse the universe’s past, vintage chandeliers like those designed by Gino Sarfatti and J. & L. Lobmeyr, for example, put on a similarly stunning show, each with a rich story to tell.

As dazzling as it is, the Arco lamp, on the other hand, prioritizes functionality — it’s wholly mobile, no drilling required. Designed in 1962 by architect-product designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the piece takes the traditional form of a streetlamp and creates an elegant, arching floor fixture for at-home use.

There is no shortage of modernist lighting similarly prized by collectors and casual enthusiasts alike — there are Art Deco table lamps created in a universally appreciated style, the Tripod floor lamp by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Greta Magnusson Grossman's sleek and minimalist Grasshopper lamps and, of course, the wealth of mid-century experimental lighting that emerged from Italian artisans at Arredoluce, FLOS and many more are hallmarks in illumination innovation

With decades of design evolution behind it, home lighting is no longer just practical. Crystalline shaping by designers like Gabriel Scott turns every lighting apparatus into a luxury accessory. A new installation doesn’t merely showcase a space; carefully chosen ceiling lights, table lamps and floor lamps can create a mood, spotlight a favorite piece or highlight your unique personality.

The sparkle that your space has been missing is waiting for you amid the growing collection of antique, vintage and contemporary lighting for sale on 1stDibs.