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.
Set of 4 Darkened Brass Coasters by Gentner Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 4 darkened brass coasters by Gentner Design Dimensions: D 12 x W 9.5 cm Materials: darkened brass Hand-formed from a sheet of brass, emphasizing ...
Brass
Large Modernist Raku Fired Abstract Pottery Vase by Tony Evans
By Tony Evans
Located in Miami, FL
Large abstract form raku fired ceramic vase on lucite base by renowned master ceramicist Tony Evans (1942-2009). Evans developed a very distinctive style after studying ancient potte...
Ceramic, Pottery
$771 / item
Lace Cream Planter by Mowee
Located in Geneve, CH
Lace cream planter by Mowee Dimensions: D50 x W120 x H76 cm Material: Polyethylene and stainless steel. Weight: 13.5 kg. Also available in different ...
Stainless Steel, Other
$2,820 / item
Satori 11 Sculpture by Noe Kuremoto
Located in Geneve, CH
Satori 11 Sculpture by Noe Kuremoto Materials: Earthenware sculpture Dimensions: D23 x W32 x H45 cm When Japanese Mountain Gods appear as children, they are known as Satori. Satori...
Earthenware
Matte Off White Glaze Sculptural Vase 3 by Anna Shipulina Ceramics
Located in Geneve, CH
Matte Off White Glaze Sculptural Vase 3 by Anna Shipulina Ceramics Dimensions: D 22.9 x H 24.8 cm. Materials: Ceramic. A hand-built ceramic vase created using traditional pottery t...
Ceramic
champagner bowl by Philipp Starck for Alessi, italy
Located in Kiel, SH
high decorative champagner bowl attribute by Philippe Starck for Alessi. The bowl is in a good used condition with small signs of use and age.
Metal, Brass, Chrome
Memphis Milano style table clock in painted metal, 1980s
Located in STRASBOURG, FR
1980s table clock made of painted sheet metal and plastic, Memphis Milano inspired design, in the style of Ettore Sottsass. In mint condition, taken out of its box for the photo, i...
Metal
$295Sale Price|46% Off
Large Michael Lax Polished Aluminum Bowl
By Michael Lax
Located in Chicago, IL
Large Michael Lax polished aluminum bowl Some wear on the interior center area as shown. Would be a good piece to possibly have polished.
Aluminum
Contemporary Blackened Ribbon Hook by Henry Wilson
By Henry Wilson
Located in Geneve, CH
Blackened Ribbon Hook by Henry Wilson Dimensions: W 2 x D 8 x H 12 cm Materials: Blackened bronze. An antidote to last-minute rummaging, the Ribbon Hook features two protruding bloc...
Bronze
Contemporary Art Fountain Le Colonne White, Light Blue by Alessandro Mendini
By Mirabili, Alessandro Mendini
Located in Pistoia, IT
Limited edition of 99 numbered and signed copies of the Column composed by 3 elements, base in polychrome ceramic, 24 white grés tiles with decorations and a bronze fish sculpture. This fountain is called “Le Colonne...
Bronze
Eólica Large Sculpture in Jurassic Fossil Stone by NERINEA
Located in Geneve, CH
Eólica Large Sculpture in Jurassic Fossil Stone by NERINEA. Dimensions: W 33 x D 29 x H 178 cm. Materials: Natural Stone (Jurassic Fossil TOP). Designed by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos...
Stone
$861 / item
Mn Medium Vase by Josefina Munoz
Located in Geneve, CH
Mn Medium vase by Josefina Munoz Mn collection Dimensions: H25 X ?13,5 cm Material: Ceramics (Black Sandstone and Transparent Enamel) Available in: Soliflor, and Small. Ce...
Ceramic
Renaat Ramon Postmodern Lacquered Steel Sculpture, Belgium, 1989
Located in Antwerp, BE
Designed by Belgian architect and artist Renaat Ramon, this abstract postmodern sculpture in lacquered steel was created in the 1990s as a functional yet artistic object. Its central...
Steel
$1,258 / item
Carafe 4 Vase by Anna Karountzou
Located in Geneve, CH
Carafe 4 vase by Anna Karountzou Dimensions: W 14.5 x D 12.5 x H 33 cm Materials: black stoneware clay, clear glaze inside, handmade crater glaze outside, fi...
Other
Postmodern Italian Pottery Planter with Flower Stand, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern Italian Pottery Planter with Flower Stand, 1980s
Ceramic
$1,103 / item
Beige Stoneware Amphora Vase by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Beige Stoneware Amphora Vase by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 16 x H 36 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Stoneware Available finishes: Black, Beige, Brown, Red, Terraco...
Stoneware
Radius One by William Sklaroff for Smith Metal Arts Rose Gold Desk Pen Holder
By Smith Metal Arts, William Sklaroff
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful and elegant rosegold finish double pen holder from the Radius One Metal Collection designed by William Sklaroff for Smith Metal Arts, USA circa late 1980's. Sleek, modern a...
Metal
Trinidad Candelabra by Andres Monnier
Located in Geneve, CH
Trinidad Candelabra by Andres Monnier One of a Kind. Dimensions: D 35 x W 35 x H 130 cm Materials: White marble from San Luis Potosí, stainless steel. Designer's biography Treko con...
Marble, Stainless Steel
$2,200Sale Price|20% Off
Massive Tall Sculpture Solid Block of Lucite in Purple Tint
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful unique thick piece of Lucite in purple tint color, different shades as the light goes thru unsigned, circa 1970s.
Lucite
Hand Made Ceramic Yüklü Collection Vase by İpek Afacan
Located in Geneve, CH
Hand Made Ceramic Yüklü Collection Vase by İpek Afacan. Dimensions: W 17 x D 17 x H 24 cm Materials: Hand made ceramic. About: Born in 1995 in Türkiye’s Black Sea region, the artis...
Ceramic
Organic Form Gradient Light Amber Glass Vase by Aina Kari
Located in Geneve, CH
Il Dodge Murano Glass Vase by Aina Kari One Of A Kind. Dimensions: D 15 x H 30 cm. Materials: Murano glass. Aina Kari After working for different world-renowned brands in Italy and ...
Murano Glass
Hand Made Ceramic Yüklü Collection Vase by İpek Afacan
Located in Geneve, CH
Hand Made Ceramic Yüklü Collection Vase by İpek Afacan. Dimensions: W 28 x D 28 x H 21 cm Materials: Hand made ceramic. About: Born in 1995 in Türkiye’s Black Sea region, the artis...
Ceramic
Cariátide Small Sculpture in exclusive Jurassic Fossil Stone by NERINEA
Located in VALENCIA, ES
Cariatide is a modular stone sculpture series designed by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, available in multiple heights, proportions and materials as Jurassic Fossil Top or Marble. Insp...
Stone
Cariátide Small Sculpture in Marquina Marble Stone by NERINEA
Located in VALENCIA, ES
Cariatide is a modular stone sculpture series designed by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, available in multiple heights, proportions and materials as Jurassic Fossil Top or Marble. Insp...
Marble
Cariátide Small Sculpture in Carrara Marble Stone by NERINEA
Located in VALENCIA, ES
Cariatide is a modular stone sculpture series designed by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, available in multiple heights, proportions and materials as Jurassic Fossil Top or Marble. Insp...
Carrara Marble
Black Alongside In Hand Crafted Sculpture by Rachael Heritage
Located in Geneve, CH
Black Alongside In Hand Crafted Sculpture by Rachael Heritage Each Piece is Unique Dimensions: D 26 x W 24 x H 26 cm Materials: recycled card, fibre-cement, black burnished plaster. ...
Other
Eólica Small Sculpture in Carrara Marble Stone by NERINEA
Located in VALENCIA, ES
A vertical sculptural totem, Eólica expresses the serene minimalism and architectural precision of Fran Silvestre Arquitectos. The Eólica series is a family of vertical stone sculpt...
Carrara Marble
Hand Made Ceramic Yüklü Collection Vase by İpek Afacan
Located in Geneve, CH
Hand Made Ceramic Yüklü Collection Vase by İpek Afacan. Dimensions: W 27 x D 26 x H 18 cm Materials: Hand made ceramic. About: Born in 1995 in Türkiye’s Black Sea region, the artis...
Ceramic
$6,623 / item
Concrete and Cray Totem 130 by Frederic Texier
Located in Geneve, CH
Concrete and Cray Totem 130 by Frederic Texier Dimensions: W 30 x D 20 x H 130 cm. Materials: Concrete coated with lime and cement. Color: Cray. Artist Frédéric Texier expresses a...
Concrete, Cement
$7,703 / item
Ritus Tres Candelabra by Andres Monnier.
Located in Geneve, CH
Ritus Tres Candelabra by Andres Monnier. One of a Kind. Dimensions: D 120 x W 35 x H 70 cm Materials: Black marble. Designer's biography Treko concrete is a Mexican studio...
Marble
$861 / item
Peach Oxide Mercury Vase by Elyse Graham
Located in Geneve, CH
Peach oxide mercury vase by Elyse Graham Dimensions: W 14 x D 14 x H 25.5cm Materials: Plaster, Resin Molded, dyed, and finished by hand in LA. customization Available. All piec...
Resin, Plaster
Post-Modern Solid Marble Orb Vase in Green Granite, Sculptural Stone Vessel
Located in San Diego, CA
A beautifully proportioned postmodern stone vase, carved from a single block of solid marble with a softly rounded orb form. The surface reveals a richly variegated green and grey ma...
Marble
$1,527 / item
BG 445 Handcrafed Sculpture by Bronwen Grieves
Located in Geneve, CH
BG 445 Handcrafed Sculpture by Bronwen Grieves Dimensions: D40 x W28 x H16 cm Materials: black stoneware white slip. Other models can be done. Fired to 1180 c Bronwen Grieve...
Stoneware
Artifacts of Disharmony Clear Buoy Sculpture by Tero Kuitunen
Located in Geneve, CH
Artifacts of Disharmony Clear Buoy sculpture by Tero Kuitunen Material: Hand sculpted glass and ceramic. Dimensions: D48 x W 20 x H10cm Unique piec...
Ceramic, Glass
Sommerso Vase by Flavio Poli for Seguso, Murano, Italy, 1970s
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Sommerso Vase by Flavio Poli for Seguso, Murano, Italy, 1970s This vase features a Sommerso design, characterized by its encapsulated layers of glass. Its shape is prismatic and elon...
Art Glass
$569 / item
Avelaine Bowl by Cuit Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Avelaine Bowl by Cuit Studio One of a Kind. Dimensions: D 30 x W 35 x H 16 cm. Materials: Stoneware white crackled matt. Due to the handmade process of this item, each piece will be...
Stoneware
$587 / item
Vase with Flowers by Caroline Harrius
Located in Geneve, CH
Vase with flowers by Caroline Harrius Dimensions: 32 H cm Material: Porcelain Numbered Vase with flower, 32 cm high, casted in porcelain, paint...
Porcelain
Mezzo Violin Sculpture in patinated bronze and glass by Yves Lohé, circa 1970
By Lohe
Located in NICE, FR
Bronze and Pâte de Verre Sculpture by Yves Lohé, France, circa 1970 One of the iconic bronze and pâte de verre sculptures signed by Yves Lohé (born 1947), depicting an abstract orga...
Bronze
Postmodern Cat Design Bottle, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern Cat Design Bottle, 1980s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1980 to 1989. Additional information: Material: Glass, Wood Color: Yellow Styles: Postmodern Item Type: Vintag...
Glass, Wood
Stoneware Clay, Body II Sculpture by Aleksandra Krasnopolska
Located in Geneve, CH
Stoneware Clay, Body II Sculpture by Aleksandra Krasnopolska Dimensions: W 20 x D 19 x H 14 cm Materials: Stoneware clay. Unglazed ceramic sulface. Weight: 3 kg. Collection: Body ...
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
Wood, Brass and Steel Balanço Gira by Atelier Andre Ferri
Located in Geneve, CH
Wood, Brass and Steel Balanço Gira by Atelier Andre Ferri Dimensions: D 43 x H 35 cm. Materials: Wood, Steel, Brass. ANDRÉ FERRI André Ferri is from Belo Horizonte, born in 1990...
Steel, Brass
Velvet Realities Charcoal Wall Sculpture by Sven Jansse
Located in Geneve, CH
Velvet Realities Charcoal Wall Sculpture by Sven Jansse Collaboration with Studio Somé (Robyne Somé) and Sven Jansse. Dimensions: W 54 x D 1 x H 96 cm Materials: Print on CNC’d Acry...
Other
Miami Crystal T-Light Holder, Hand-Sculpted Contemporary Crystal
Located in Geneve, CH
Miami crystal T-Light holder, hand-sculpted contemporary crystal Decorative Vase Handsculpted in crystal Measures: W 8 H 19.8 D 8 cm The Miami crystal T-Light holder creates a ...
Crystal
$925 / item
Ola Sculpture by Vica Ceramica
Located in Geneve, CH
Ola sculpture by Vica Ceramica Materials: high temp. ceramic, polished cement base. Dimensions: D 16 x W 25 x H 14 cm VICA CERÁMICA-STUDIO is a de...
Cement
Ash Candlestick Holder by Evelina Kudabaite Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Ash candlestick holder by Evelina Kudabaite Studio Handmade Materials: Ash, brass Dimensions: H 45 mm x D 105 mm Colour: Yellow/light brown Notes: For dry use Since 2015, pro...
Brass
Memphis Style Ceramic Vase by Luciano Florio Paccagnella for Florio Keramia, 90s
By Florio Keramia, Luciano Florio Paccagnella
Located in Lucija, SI
Postmodern designed by Florio Paccagnella for Florio Keramia, Italy, 1990s Luciano Florio Paccagnella is a Memphis Group hero that has been forgotten by history. Paccagnella was discovered by Matteo Thun after finishing his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts at Brera in Milan. He was introduced to Ettore Sottsass...
Ceramic
$9,270 / item
Tiny Gods Sculpture by Carri
Located in Geneve, CH
Tiny Gods Sculpture by Carri Dimensions: W 35 x D 5 x H 50 cm Materials: Onyx. B 1995 Fernanda Carri ́s intimate practice spans painting, sculpture, ceramics, and textile, while her...
Onyx
Wood Panther Sculpture MDF
Located in DE MEERN, UT
The design of the panther must be meticulously planned, paying close attention to anatomical details. The layers of MDF should be cut and stacked to accurately resemble the curves and contours of the panther body. Each layer of MDF needs to be cut with precision to ensure a seamless fit when they are assembled. Achieving this level of accuracy requires precise measurements and the use of appropriate cutting...
Plywood
Vintage Pink Terracotta Sphere Vase, Geometric Sculptural Ceramic 1980s Canada
Located in Toronto, CA
A beautifully sculptural vintage Canadian ceramic vase featuring a perfect spherical form in a pink terracotta glaze. Defined by its clean geometry and smooth, rounded silhouette, th...
Ceramic
Postmodern Italian Milano Series Candleholder, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern Italian Milano Series Candleholder, 1980s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1980 to 1989 This piece has an attribution mark. Additional information: Materials: Metal, Pl...
Metal
Franz Josef Altenburg Ceramic Art Vase, Austria, 1980s
By Franz Josef Altenburg
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautifully shaped vase/vessel by Franz Josef Altenburg (Austria, 1941–2021), dated to the 1980s. Handmade from red-brown ceramic with a light green to beige glaze. In very conditi...
Ceramic
$1,258 / item
Chrome Vase 0001 by John Nordenstein
Located in Geneve, CH
Chrome Vase 0001 by John Nordenstein Unique Piece. Dimensions: D 10 x W 10 x H 26 cm. Materials: Ceramic, chrome paint, and epoxy primer. The self-taught artist John Nordenstein gre...
Other
Murano glass drainer in shades of blue
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Murano Glass Sink in Blue Tones This Murano glass sink, crafted using the sommerso technique in the 1960s, features a vibrant gradation of blues that...
Art Glass
Set of 3 Wood and Aluminum Vaso Torno by Atelier Andre Ferri
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 3 Wood and Aluminum Vaso Torno by Atelier Andre Ferri Dimensions: W 25 x D 60 x H 15.5 cm W 25 x D 32 x H 15.5 cm W 25 x D 29 x H 32 cm Materials: Wood, Aluminum. ANDRÉ F...
Aluminum
Unique Gaetano Pesce for Fish Design “Tutti Frutti” Large Resin Bowl, 1990s
Located in Dronten, NL
Few designers blur the line between art, architecture, and irreverent joy like Gaetano Pesce. This large “Tutti Frutti” bowl—executed in his signature spaghetti technique—is a vibran...
Resin
1980s Lucite Mantel Clock
By Felice Antonio Botta, Shlomi Haziza, Hivo Van Teal
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A simple and sophisticated lucite mantle or table clock with a rectangular base, tall diamond shaped body, textured light gray face, brass marks for numbers, and brass hands. It is ...
Lucite
Bitossi Ceramiche Vaso Rocchetto by Ettore Sottsass
Located in Toronto, ON
Designed by Ettore Sottsass for Bitossi in 1958, this cylindrical vase from his black-and-white collection wears a façade of squares and grids, a stark geometry that feels equal part...
Ceramic
$1,566 / item
Onda Vase by Moldra
Located in Geneve, CH
Onda Vase by Moldra Dimensions: D 38 x H 27 cm Materials: Stoneware Moldra is a ceramic studio devoted to sculptural vases and objects. Rooted in the ancestral hand-building techniq...
Stoneware
$783 / item
Artefacto 04 by Federico Stefanovich
Located in Geneve, CH
Artefacto 04 by Federico Stefanovich Dimensions: D 15 x W 22 x H 19 cm. Material: Brass. Available in a larger size: D 25 x W 36 x H 32 cm. Federico Stefanovich presents himself as ...
Brass
Contemporary Glass Vase Mini Mountain by Fos, Pink
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 ...
Glass