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.
Artist-Made Vintage Onyx / Agate & Walnut Lidded Vessel Box, Signed & Dated 1986
Located in Hastings, GB
This beautifully tactile sculptural onyx lidded box is a unique artist-made piece...unfortunately I've been unable to identify the maker's mark. We sourced it in Phoenix, Arizona. B...
Onyx
$1,038 / item
Dionis Vase by Moldra
Located in Geneve, CH
Dionis Vase by Moldra Dimensions: D 33 x H 35 cm Materials: Stoneware Moldra is a ceramic studio devoted to sculptural vases and objects. Rooted in the ancestral hand-building techn...
Stoneware
20th Century Abstract Modernist Stone Sculpture of Three Faces in Profile
Located in New York, NY
Elegant contemporary art sculpture in an Art Deco revival style, signed by artist C. Marinse. Carved from beautiful green stone, three sensual faces with eyes closed are shown profil...
Stone
Handmade Ceramic Organic Texture Brown Stoneware Vase by Maku Ceramic
Located in Geneve, CH
Handmade Ceramic Organic Texture Brown Stoneware Vase by Maku Ceramic Dimensions: Ø 17.7 x H 35.5 cm Materials: Ceramic, Stoneware, Clay Maku Ceramic is an Istanbul-based ceramic st...
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
Handmade Textured Moon Surface Decor Small Ceramic Vase by Maku Ceramic
Located in Geneve, CH
Handmade Textured Moon Surface Decor Ceramic Small Vase by Maku Ceramic Dimensions: Ø 25.4 cm Materials: Ceramic, Stoneware, Clay Maku Ceramic is an Istanbul-based ceramic studio fo...
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
Prophetia Vase in Wheel-Thrown Glazed Stoneware by Robin Kerr
Located in Geneve, CH
Prophetia Vase in Wheel-Thrown Glazed Stoneware by Robin Kerr Unique Piece Dimensions: D 25 x W 25 x H 52 cm. Materials: Stoneware. Robin Kerr is a Swiss ceramic artist living and w...
Stoneware
Modder Looking Back Up After Messing Up Ceramic Sculpture by Françoise Jeffrey
Located in Geneve, CH
Modder Looking Back Up After Messing Up Ceramic Sculpture by Françoise Jeffrey Dimensions: Ø 17 x H 9 cm Materials: stoneware piece, black, coil-built, unglazed, year 2025 Weight: 0,...
Stoneware
$497 / item
DYKA Centerpiece Bowl by ZEMNA
Located in Geneve, CH
DYKA Centerpiece Bowl by ZEMNA Designed by Tetiana Krasutska. Dimensions: D 17 x W 25 x H 14 cm. Materials: Clay. Each object in the DYKA collection is unique because it is sculpte...
Clay
Modder Dancing Through The Doubts Ceramic Sculpture by Françoise Jeffrey
Located in Geneve, CH
Modder Dancing Through The Doubts Ceramic Sculpture by Françoise Jeffrey Dimensions: W 17 x 9 cm Materials: stoneware, black, coil-built, unglazed, year 2025 Weight: 0.7 kg. A lovin...
Gold
Fragment Sculpture in Ceramic by Liliana Silva
Located in Geneve, CH
Fragment Sculpture in Ceramic by Liliana Silva. Signed by Liliana Silva. Dimensions: W 24 x D 24 x H 32 cm. Materials: Ceramic. This piece is available in a wide range of hand-paint...
Ceramic
Scandinavian Modern Decor Handmade Textured Ceramic Vase by Maku Ceramic
Located in Geneve, CH
Scandinavian Modern Decor Handmade Textured Ceramic Vase by Maku Ceramic Dimensions: W 30.4 x H 30.4 cm Materials: Ceramic, Stoneware Maku Ceramic is an Istanbul-based ceramic studi...
Ceramic, Stoneware
$743 / item
Open Sculptural Vessel by Karin Amdal
Located in Geneve, CH
Open Sculptural Vessel by Karin Amdal One Of A Kind. Dimensions: D 12.5 x W 13.5 x H 14 cm. Materials: Ceramic/stoneware clay. Pieces are hand-made, one of a kind, and sizes may var...
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
Glazed Earthenware Vase by Giovanni Poggi for San Giorgio Albisola Ceramics
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1970s. Made in glazed earthenware. It's a vintage piece, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it can be considered as in perfect original condition and re...
Earthenware
Large Stone Bathtub by Studio Loho, Post-Modern Design, Belgium, 175cm
Located in Geneve, CH
Large stone bathtub by Studio Loho Dimensions: D 85 x W 175 x H 57 cm Materials: stone Other stone types are possible upon request. Available in 2 si...
Stone
Small Origins Mar de Cobre Wall Sculpture by Aura Carpio
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Origins Mar de Cobre Wall Sculpture by Aura Carpio Dimensions: D 40 x H 4 cm. Materials: Copper. Weight: 3 Kg. Aura Carpio® (CDMX). Mexican industrial designer graduated and ...
Copper
$426 / item
Minty Sculpture in Ceramic by Liliana Silva
Located in Geneve, CH
Minty Sculpture in Ceramic by Liliana Silva. Signed by Liliana Silva. Dimensions: W 24 x D 24 x H 29 cm. Materials: Ceramic. This piece is available in a wide range of hand-painted ...
Ceramic
Vintage Pop Art Candleholder by Verner Panton, 1980s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Scandinavian pop-art candleholder for tea lights called 'Lightning Stairs'. It is rather rare and it was designed by Verner Panton in 1973. This example is from the 80s and it was ma...
Steel
Contemporary Glass Vase Mini Mountain by FOS, Yellow
By FOS
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Moulded and then mouth blown glass One of a kind The Mountain vases by FOS embody the surface of the mountain, calibrated to the size of human interiors. FOS explains, “It’s li...
Glass
$10,515 / item
Regeneration 01 Bronze Sculpture by Kodai Suga
Located in Geneve, CH
Regeneration 01 Bronze Sculpture by Kodai Suga Dimensions: W 50 x D 9 x H 45 cm Materials: Bronze Kodai Suga’s work features an evocative modernistic silhouette that has been imbued...
Bronze, Other
$14,410 / item
Perseus Bronze Sculpture by Kodai Suga
Located in Geneve, CH
Perseus Bronze Sculpture by Kodai Suga Dimensions: W 50 x D 30 x H 30 cm Materials: Bronze Kodai Suga’s work features an evocative modernistic silhouette that has been imbued with d...
Bronze, Other
Candlestick to Illuminate the Ruins of Time in Steel by Frederic Gaillard
Located in Geneve, CH
Candlestick to Illuminate the Ruins of Time in Steel by Frederic Gaillard. Dimensions: W 13 x D 13 x H 36 cm. Materials: Solid steel with rusted or black finish. About the Artist: ...
Steel
Black Semi Matte Glaze Intuitive Built Sculpture 2 by Anna Shipulina Ceramics
Located in Geneve, CH
Black Semi Matte Glaze Intuitive Built Sculpture 2 by Anna Shipulina Ceramics Dimensions: W 34 x D 42 x H 14 cm. Materials: Ceramic. This piece is shaped from stoneware clay and fo...
Ceramic
Postmodern Artec Table Clock by Nicolai Canetti, Metal, USA, 1980s
By Canetti
Located in Den Haag, NL
Rare Postmodern Constructivist Geometric Artec Collector's Collection Clock by Canetti, USA, 1980s. Postmodern Clock, ArTime Collection, by Canetti, Inc, 1980s This clock has a uniqu...
Metal
Zebra Lucite Acrylic Sculpture by Abraham Palatnik
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Acrylic Lucite Zebra Sculpture by Abraham Palatnik A stunning acrylic zebra sculpture by renowned Brazilian artist Abraham Palatnik. This piece is a true modern work of art that comb...
Acrylic
Medium Candle Holder by Six Dots Design in Sanded Aluminum, UK
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium Candle Holder by Six Dots Design Unique Piece. Dimensions: D 11 x W 8 x H 2 cm Materials: Sanded raw aluminum. This sand cast aluminium candle holder is expressive, raw and t...
Aluminum
Post-Modern Small Candle Holder by Six Dots Design, Sanded Aluminum
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Candle Holder by Six Dots Design Unique Piece. Dimensions: D 6 x W 5 x H 2 cm Materials: Sanded and oiled aluminum. This sand cast aluminium candle holder is expressive, raw a...
Aluminum
Mackenzie-Childs Black and White Plate or Dish, 1993
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful authentic designer plate or dish by designers' MacKenzie-Childs, circa 1990s, New York. A rare piece, hand-painted plate with a black and wh...
Art Glass
$10,515 / item
Vanguard 02-1 Bronze Sculpture by Kodai Suga
Located in Geneve, CH
Vanguard 02-1 Bronze Sculpture by Kodai Suga Dimensions: W 50 x D 7.5 x H 40 cm Materials: Bronze Kodai Suga’s work features an evocative modernistic silhouette that has been imbued...
Bronze, Other
Unique Untitled 4 Hand Carved White Porcelain Vessel by Lee Jong Min
By Lee Jong Min
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Untitled 4 Hand Carved White Porcelain Vessel by Lee Jong Min. One of a Kind. Dimensions: W 25 x D 25 x H 47 cm. Materials: Hand-carved white porcelain. "Untitled 4" is a un...
Porcelain
$615 / item
Deficiency 9 Vase by Rezzo Ceramics
Located in Geneve, CH
Deficiency 9 Vase by Rezzo Ceramics Dimensions: W 18 x D 17 x H 26 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Stoneware Finish: Unglazed. Suitable for dry flowers Esra Misirli Kubilay is a...
Stoneware
PF03 Handmade Sculptural Bust On Wood Plinth by Object Atelier
Located in Geneve, CH
PF03 Handmade Sculptural Bust On Wood Plinth by Object Atelier One Of a Kind. Dimensions: D 20 x 20 x H 42 cm (Dimensions may vary). Materials: Natural fibers, aggregates, pigments, ...
Natural Fiber, Wood
Unique Polished Oak Trough 8.5 cm Depth by Matt Kavanagh
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Polished Oak Trough 8.5 cm Depth by Matt Kavanagh. Signed by Matt Kavanagh. One of a Kind. Dimensions: W 25 x D 8.5 x H 7.5 cm. Materials: Oak, scorch & oil, polish wax. ...
Hardwood, Oak
Teocalli Sculptural Monolith in Basalt Granite & Steel by Andres Monnier
Located in Geneve, CH
Teocalli Sculptural Monolith in Basalt Granite & Steel by Andres Monnier Unique Piece Dimensions: D 220 x W 90 x H 280 cm. Materials: Steel and basalt granite. Available in differen...
Other, Steel
Cisco Jiménez Hand-Painted Big Ceramic Vase With Green And Black Lines
Located in Mexico City, MX
A big white ceramic vase hand-painted with green and black lines by Mexican artist Cisco Jiménez. The lines on the vase are entangled in a dynamic composition. The vase is signed and...
Ceramic
Ettore Sottsass Y29 Vase in Red Enameled Ceramic Yantra Series Poltronova 70s
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
This ceramic piece is part of the Yantra series by Ettore Sottsass, a collection of thirty-nine forms including containers, ashtrays, vases and bowls, created between 1969 and 1973 a...
Ceramic
Ettore Sottsass Y15 Vase in White Enameled Ceramic Yantra Series Poltronova 70s
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
This ceramic piece is part of the Yantra series by Ettore Sottsass, a collection of thirty-nine forms including containers, ashtrays, vases and bowls, created between 1969 and 1973 a...
Ceramic
Contemporary Glass Vase Mini Mountain by Fos, Blue
By FOS
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Moulded and then mouth blown glass One of a kind The Mountain vases by FOS embody the surface of the mountain, calibrated to the size of human interiors. FOS explains, “It’s li...
Glass
Postmodern Handmade Beige and Black Glazed Ceramic Vase, Germany
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Germany, 1970s. This handmade vase is made in glazed ceramic. It is a vintage piece, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it can be considered as in very good o...
Ceramic
$177 / item
Tall Amber Magma Vase by Mana
Located in Geneve, CH
Tall Amber Magma Vase by Mana Dimensions: D 11 x W 11 x H 25 cm. Materials: Recycled pet from post-consumer plastics, mainly discarded bottles/single use food packaging, collected an...
Plastic
Crystal and Brass Business Card Holder by Dainte
Located in Geneve, CH
Crystal and Brass Business Card Holder by Dainte Dimensions: D 9 x W 13 x H 8 cm. Materials: Crystal and brass. The sturdy yet minimalist b...
Crystal, Brass
Euphrates Vase, Designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1983 for Memphis Milano
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano, Memphis Group
Located in Beirut, LB
The Euphrates vase was originally designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1983 for Memphis Milano 1981-1988. A classic by Sottsass, the Euphrates porcelain vase is part of three 'rivers' vase...
Porcelain
Chessboard Bois Déchiré Art Edition by Meubles Thouret
Located in Geneve, CH
Chessboard Bois Déchiré Art Edition by Meubles Thouret. Numbered and signed by the artists. Delivered with a Certificate of Authenticity. Dimensions: W 48 x D 48 x H 5 cm. Materials:...
Resin, Wood
Post Modern Memphis Milano Studio Pottery Candlesticks, Signed Mueller '97 Pai
Located in Miami, FL
Post Modern Memphis Milano studio pottery Candlesticks Offered for sale is a pair of post-modern studio pottery candlesticks created in the Memphis Memphis Milano style. Each candl...
Clay, Pottery
$6,077 / item
Scents of Spring Heritage Vase by deBlona
Located in Geneve, CH
Scents of Spring Heritage Vase by deBlona Dimensions: W 38 x D 25 x H 63 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Colors: Deruta blue, copper green, yellow, orange, vanadium, purple, carmine red. T...
Ceramic
$2,212 / item
Emboss Wall Sculpture I by Sofia Tufvasson
Located in Geneve, CH
Emboss wall sculpture I by Sophie Rogers Dimensions: D 8 x W 32 x H 25 cm Materials: Ceramic, glaze Other glaze colors available. Wall sculpture with undulating shape like a dr...
Ceramic
Memphis Style Postmodern Mixed Wood Jewelry Box
Located in San Diego, CA
Memphis style Postmodern mixed wood jewelry box with drawer, circa 1998. The box is made of a variety of hard woods including ash, cherry Mahogany walnut and maple. The top lifts up ...
Ash, Maple, Walnut
Rock Vase (Large), Black and Matte White by Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, CA
Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. *All the pieces are handmade and therefore unique. Variations in the dimensions, hues and colours’ d...
Resin
Racine Candleholder in Black Patinated Bronze by Jules Desdoigts
Located in Geneve, CH
Racine Candleholder in Black Patinated Bronze by Jules Desdoigts. Dimensions: W 18 x D 18 x H 10 cm. Materials: Black Patinated Bronze. This black-patinated bronze candleholder was ...
Bronze
Black Stoneware Psykter Vase by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Black Stoneware Psykter Vase by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 30 x H 25 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Stoneware Available finishes: Black, White, Brown, Red, White P...
Stoneware
Postmodern Decorative Ceramic "Totem" Lidded Jar, USA, 1980's
By Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Postmodern Decorative Ceramic "Totem" Lidded Jar, USA, 1980's In the style of Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini, etc. Great color and subject mattter. In good as fo...
Pottery
$1,360 / item
Looking for Equilibrium Sculpture by MCB Ceramics
Located in Geneve, CH
Looking for Equilibrium Sculpture by MCB Ceramics Unique piece. Dimensions: D 20 x H 55 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Numerated and signed by the artist. All ...
Ceramic
Afrodita Sculpture Object in Jurassic Fossil Stone by NERINEA
Located in Geneve, CH
Afrodita Sculpture Object in Jurassic Fossil Stone by NERINEA. Dimensions: W 14 x D 14 x H 39 cm. Materials: Natural Stone (Jurassic Fossil TOP). Designed by Fran Silvestre Arquitect...
Stone
Karl Springer Lacquered Snakeskin Decorative Box
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A scrupulously-crafted, decorative trinket or jewelry box by Karl Springer comprising a rectangular body with a domed, hinged lid and a suede-lined interior. The outside is wrapped e...
Suede, Animal Skin
Set of 2 Postmodern Italian Metal Candleholders, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern Italian Metal Candleholders, 1980s, Set of 2, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1980 to 1989. Additional information: Materials: Metal, Wood Color: Black Country of Origi...
Metal
$8,438 / item
Basket Shape Green Vase by Emilie Lemardeley
Located in Geneve, CH
Basket Shape Green Vase by Emilie Lemardeley Unique Piece Dimensions: ⌀ 48 x H 38 cm Materials: Hand blown glass. DRYADE Collection All in crystal, these large vases are raised and ...
Blown Glass
$3,999 / item
Puparin Vase by Purho
Located in Geneve, CH
Puparin vase by Purho Dimensions: D12 x H32 cm Materials: Murano glass Available in other colors. Puparìn is a vase from the Laguna Collection desi...
Murano Glass
Large Matte Pastel Yellow, Lemon Ceramic Vase BonBon by deBlona
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Matte Pastel Yellow, Lemon Ceramic Vase BonBon by deBlona Dimensions: D 34 x H 42 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Colors: Matt pastel color, 24 kt gold luster. This exquisite large c...
Ceramic
Bronze Bust of Salvador Dalí Nº265/999 by Arno Breker 1975
By Arno Breker
Located in Madrid, ES
The name of the artist and the date, "Arno Breker 1974-75," are incised on Dali's neck, indicating the period during which Breker sculpted Dali from life. On the back of the neck, yo...
Marble, Bronze
Porcelain Vessel in Glazed Porcelain & Iron Oxide by Robin Kerr
Located in Geneve, CH
Porcelain Vessel in Glazed Porcelain & Iron Oxide by Robin Kerr Dimensions: D 29 x W 29 x H 13,5 cm. Materials: Porcelain and iron oxide. Robin Kerr is a Swiss ceramic artist living...
Other
Transparent and Grey Sommerso Murano Glass Vase by Hora P with Rhomboid Base
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1980s. This vase is made in Sommerso Murano glass and is signed by Hora P. It is a vintage item, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it can be considere...
Murano Glass, Sommerso