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.
$777 / 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
$435 / item
Candelabro 4 Candleholder by Camila Apaez
Located in Geneve, CH
Candelabro 4 Candleholder by Camila Apaez Unique Materials: Stoneware, Red Clay Dimensions: ⌀ 7 x H 20 cm Ila Ceramica emerged from a process of inner inquiry where ceramics became ...
Clay, Stoneware
Andrew Galvin Footed Tray, American Studio Art Glass
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage footed art glass tray features colorful Op-art fused glass design with purple, marigold yellow, forest green, and teal blue colored glass elements seamlessly fused in rectan...
Glass, Art Glass
$212 / item
Impruneta Clay Diogenèa Bowl by ZPS Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Impruneta Clay Diogenèa Bowl by ZPS Studio Dimensions: D 23 x H 4.8 cm Materials: Impruneta Clay. A number of 31 bowls of identical shape, made in limited edition by fine Italian ar...
Clay
$1,420 / item
Saturn's Return Plant Stand
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Saturn's Return Plant Stand features a sliced steel sphere planter that hangs by delicate yet sturdy chain inside a solid steel rolled ring. A smaller steel ...
Steel
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
Priora Box in Horn, Chromed Brass & Glossy Ebony by Arcahorn
Located in Geneve, CH
Priora Box in Horn, Chromed Brass & Glossy Ebony by Arcahorn Dimensions: D 18 x W 18 x H 10 cm. Materials: Glossy ebony, horn, and chromed brass. Available in three sizes and th...
Brass, Other
Estremoz Marble Sculpture by Jean-Frédéric Bourdier
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Jean-Frédéric Bourdier Estremoz Marble sculpture Signed and dated France 2007 210 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm
Marble
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
Chopard sterling silver 925 picture table/desk frame, for Robbe & Berking Luxe
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very Luxury sterling silver frame , made by Robbe & Berking and designed by one of the most exquisite brands in the world, Chopard .The picture itself is 6 x4 inches opening.
Sterling Silver
Vintage Mexican Glass Sculpture
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This captivating vintage Mexican art glass sculpture is a striking example of modern abstract design and artisanal studio craft. Hand-crafted using sophisticated fused glass techniqu...
Copper
Contemporary Organic Shape, Rustic Light Blue Ceramic Pot by Willem Van Hooff
Located in Geneve, CH
Anga 3D Pot by Willem Van Hooff Dimensions: Ø 28 x H 42 cm. Materials: Glazed earthenware. This piece is fired twice in the kiln above 1200 degrees to add this glaze glass effect o...
Earthenware
$1,437 / item
Melty Sculpture by Vica Ceramica
Located in Geneve, CH
Melty Sculpture by Vica Ceramica Dimensions: D 40 x W 39 x H 28 cm Materials: High temp. Ceramic VICA CERÁMICA-STUDIO is a design and sculpture studio established in Mexico City V...
Enamel
Yes...! No...! To The Risk, To The Unknown Sculpture by Carri
Located in Geneve, CH
Yes...! No...! To The Risk, To The Unknown Sculpture by Carri Dimensions: W 47 x D 5 x H 72 cm Materials: Onyx. B 1995 Fernanda Carri ́s intimate practice spans painting, sculpture,...
Onyx
$1,516 / 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
$1,001 / item
Black Stoneware Chytra Vase by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Black Stoneware Chytra Vase by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 27 x H 18 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Stoneware Available finishes: Black, White, Brown, Red, Patina ...
Stoneware
Vintage Metal Art Organ Player Statue On Black Base Figurative Sculpture
Located in Chicago, IL
Vintage Metal Art Organ Player Figurative Sculpture Statue on Black Base
Metal
Set of 3 Contemporary F.ACE Aluminium Wall Hooks by Henry Wilson
By Henry Wilson
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 3 F.ACE Aluminium Wall Hooks by Henry Wilson Dimensions: W 6 x D 5 x H 10 cm Materials: Aluminium The F.ACE Hook is a riff on our popular compass Hook. It is sand cast in so...
Aluminum
Contemporary Wall Lamp and Vase by Soft Baroque, Black Nickel-Plated Brass
By Soft Baroque
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Commissioned by Etage Projects for Salon Art + Design 2017. Wall light and vase made of black nickel-plated crushed brass. Comes with remote, can be mounted ...
Brass, Nickel
$1,460 / item
Essenza by Rampinelli Edizioni
Located in Geneve, CH
Essenza by Rampinelli Edizioni Designed by Antonio De Marco Dimensions: D 13.5 x H 32 cm Materials: Metal. ANTONIO DE MARCO Essenza represents a bridge between two seemingly distant...
Metal
$2,980 / item
Untitled No. 45 Vase by Marea Hildebrand
Located in Geneve, CH
Untitled No. 45 Vase by Marea Hildebrand Handmade Dimensions: D 29 x W 29 x H 32 cm Materials: Stoneware with slip. Marea Hildebrand (b. 1989) is a Zurich-based ceramic artist with...
Stoneware
$506 / item
Bronze Stack Trays by Henry Wilson
By Henry Wilson
Located in Geneve, CH
Bronze Stack Trays by Henry Wilson Dimesions: W 25 x D 5 x H 10 cm Materials: Bronze The stack trays are sold in a set of three that can be used togethe...
Bronze
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
A SCULPTURAL BLOWN GLASS VASE, by DAVIDE SALVADORE, MURANO, Italy 2000.
Located in PARIS, FR
An enormous sculptural Post-Modernist Blown Glass Vase, from the serie "Porphyre", by Contemporary Murano Glass Artist Davide Salvadore. This is a museum piece of Contemporary Art in...
Murano Glass
Gillo Tray in Dark Hornwood with Lacquered Black Gloss Finish by Arcahorn
Located in Geneve, CH
Gillo Tray in Dark Hornwood with Lacquered Black Gloss Finish by Arcahorn Dimensions: Large: Ø 50 x H 5 cm. Small: D 35 x W 50 x H 8 cm. Materials: Dark horn and wood with lacquered ...
Other
$977 / item
Poured Vessel 06 by Joana Kieppe
Located in Geneve, CH
Poured Vessel 06 by Joana Kieppe Unique Piece. Dimensions: D 15 x W 15 x H 15 cm. Materials: Lotus high temperature clay with white oxide. Reproduction is entirely manual, therefore...
Clay
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
$683 / item
Paper Brass Bowl II by Gentner Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Paper brass bowl II by Gentner Design Dimensions: D 17.7 x W 22.8 x H 14 cm Materials: tarnished brass Available in tarnished brass and darkened brass. The Paper Series embodie...
Brass
$2,108 / item
Capricia Box IV by Arcahorn
Located in Geneve, CH
Capricia Box IV by Arcahorn Dimensions: D 20 x W 28 x H 14 cm Materials: Leather, wood, horn. Box in Aida pebbled leather, Ice-cream color with handmade dark brown stitching. Lid in...
Horn, Leather, Wood
Fedora Jewlery Box in Glossy Ebony, 24K Gold-Plated Brass, & Horn by Arcahorn
Located in Geneve, CH
Fedora Jewlery Box in Glossy Ebony, 24K Gold-Plated Brass, & Horn by Arcahorn Dimensions: D 13 x W 21 x H 8 cm. Materials: Glossy ebony, engraved 24K gold-plated brass, and horn. Av...
Brass, Other
$2,945 / item
Untitled 40 by Laura Pasquino
Located in Geneve, CH
Untitled 40 by Laura Pasquino One of a kind Dimensions: D 38 cm x H 38 cm Material: Porcelain. Laura Pasquino Incorporating references from ancient Korean ceramics as well as...
Porcelain
$1,166 / item
Nori Contemporary Screen
Located in Geneve, CH
Nori contemporary screen. Emulating the natural pattern of its namesake––each piece––individually bent by hand is then coated with Salago fiber...
Other
Crafted in Wood: "Circle in a Square" Single Piece of Maple Wood Bowl, 1980's
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Crafted in Wood: "Circle in a Square" Wood Bowl Post Modern / 1980's made / turned from a single piece of wood "fun on a horizontal surface but would also look great on a wall"
Maple
$1,555 / item
Wood Sculptures by Touch With Eyes
Located in Geneve, CH
Wood Sculptures by Touch With Eyes Dimensions: W 30 x D 20 x H 50 cm Materials: Wood washed out by the sea, Wax and Oil. Weight: 10 Kg. The sculptures were made of wood washed out...
Wood
$1,943 / item
Untitled Object #3 by Henry D'ath
Located in Geneve, CH
Untitled Object #3 by Henry D'ath Dimensions: D 15 x W 15 x H 60 cm Materials: Wood. Available finishes: Black ink. Henry d’ath is a New Zealand-born, Hong Kong-based artist and a...
Wood
A POP inflatable "NANA" SCULPTURE by NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE France 1970
Located in PARIS, FR
A large inflatable sculpture of "Nana", Pop, Post-Modernist, New Realist, in black plastic with a jersey with brightly colored pictorial motifs, marked on the thigh: Niki de Saint Ph...
Plastic
$31,102 / item
Atlant Sapiens by Twenty Second Factory
Located in Geneve, CH
Atlant Sapiens by Twenty Second Factory Created by Vladislav Volosenko X Bogdan Kryvosheya Dimensions: D 52 x W 35 x H 60 cm Materials: Bronze. Founded in 2017 by Bogdan Kryvosheya,...
Bronze
$2,544 / item
Haniwa Warrior 12 Sculpture by Noe Kuremoto
Located in Geneve, CH
Haniwa Warrior 12 sculpture by Noe Kuremoto Materials: black stoneware sculpture Dimensions: D11 x W33 x H59 cm My interpretation of ancient clay figurine...
Stoneware
1985 Italy Wooden Abstract Sculpture by Urano Palma Grande Trono Big Throne
By Urano Palma
Located in Brescia, IT
This very intense and engaging artwork was created by Urano Palma that is a well known Italian artist who starts to create his artworks following the philosophy of Lucio Fontana. He ...
Wood
$45,570 / item
Portal by Pepe Valenti
Located in Geneve, CH
Portal by Pepe Valenti Dimensions: D 110 x H 240 cm. Materials: Chrome-plated stainless steel, acrylic. A door to another dimension invites you on a jour...
Stainless Steel
$318 / item
Medium Blooming Cuts Vase by Ebba Lindgren
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium Blooming Cuts Vase by Ebba Lindgren Dimensions: D 32 x W 32 x H 30 cm. Materials: Recycled textile fiberboard (“really board”), glass. Ebba Lindgren Is an internationally re...
Glass
$506 / item
Roca Sculpture by Vica Ceramica
Located in Geneve, CH
Roca sculpture by Vica Ceramica Dimensions: D 17 x H 27 cm Materials: High Temp. Ceramic. VICA CERÁMICA-STUDIO is a design and sculpture studio es...
Enamel
Vintage Italian Postmodern Candleholder in Metal, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Vintage Italian Postmodern Candleholder in Metal, 1980s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1980 to 1989. Additional information: Materials: Metal Color: Brown Styles: Postmodern Cou...
Metal
$1,390 / item
Big Blooming Cuts Vase by Ebba Lindgren
Located in Geneve, CH
Big Blooming Cuts Vase by Ebba Lindgren Dimensions: D 50 x W 50 x H 55 cm. Materials: Recycled textile fiberboard (“really board”), glass. Ebba Lindgren Is an internationally renow...
Glass
Amazonia Vase (Lrg), Clear Orange & Blue with Pastel Blue Feet by Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, CA
Amazonia Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Clear Orange and Blue with Pastel Blue Feet. *All the pieces are handmade and therefore uni...
Resin
$2,293 / item
Small Le Gambe Sculpture by Marcela Cure
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Le Gambe sculpture by Marcela Cure Dimensions: Leg 1 W 35 x D 5 x H 16 cm / Leg 2 W 21 x D 6 x H 21 cm Materials: Resin and Stone Composite Our Le Gambe sculpture is compo...
Stone
$1,200Sale Price|50% Off
Elsa Fedrigolli Sculptural Glass 1980s Italian Vase
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful 1980s Post Modern blue glass sculptural vase on a bronze vase made by famed Italian designer, Esa Fedrigolli. Rare. Signed.
Bronze
Postmodern Glass Cake Plate, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern Glass Cake Plate, 1980s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1980 to 1989. Additional information: Materials: Glass Styles: Postmodern Color: Black Item Type: Vintage, Anti...
Glass
Large Torre Buding 05 Sculpture by Vica Ceramica
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Torre buding 05 sculpture by Vica Ceramica Materials: high temp. ceramic Dimensions: D 8 x H 60 cm VICA CERÁMICA-STUDIO is a design and sculpture studio established in Mex...
Ceramic
$855 / item
Prussian Huxley Vase by Elyse Graham
Located in Geneve, CH
Prussian Huxley vase by Elyse Graham Dimensions: W 14 x D 14 x H 25.5 cm Materials: Plaster, Resin Molded, dyed, and finished by hand in LA. customization Available. All pieces ...
Resin, Plaster
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
$4,147 / item
Untitled No. 54 Vase by Marea Hildebrand
Located in Geneve, CH
Untitled No. 54 Vase by Marea Hildebrand Handmade Dimensions: D 38 x W 38 x H 32 cm Materials: Stoneware with slip. Marea Hildebrand (b. 1989) is a Zurich-based ceramic artist with...
Stoneware
1970s Lucio Del Pezzo Trigon Italian Design Neodada Framart Wood Sculpture
Located in Brescia, IT
Lacquered wood Limited edition of 100 pieces Original wood box Excellent condition.
Wood
BeoCom 6000 Desktop Telephone in Navy Blue by Martin Iseli for Bang & Olufsen
Located in San Diego, CA
BeoCom 6000 cordless handset and table charger by Martin Iseli for Bang & Olufsen, circa 1990s. The phone is navy blue and grey and has a black cradle / table charger; it is in very...
Plastic
$1,119 / item
Sympoiesis No 98 Vessel by Studio Viv Lee
Located in Geneve, CH
Sympoiesis No 98 vessel by Studio Viv Lee Unique and Signed Dimensions: W 22 x D 10 x H 28 cm Materials: Red Stoneware, glaze containing foraged oyster shel...
Stoneware
Riedel x Mesa Design Large Black Centerpiece Glass Bowl, Post-Modern Italy, 1980
Located in Vienna, AT
A straight and large, 14 inches diameter postmodern centerpiece glass bowl from the 1980s. Crafted from deep black glass, this bowl stands out with its reduced, elegant design, featu...
Art Glass
1980s Postmodern Black Wall Clock by Linden
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A beautiful postmodern wall clock from the 1980s by West German clockmaker Linden. It has a black case, black face with geometric accents, and red and green hands, Striking contras...
Plastic
$1,225 / item
Recovered Medium Vase by David Valner
Located in Geneve, CH
Recovered Medium Vase by David Valner Dimensions: D 15 x W 15 x H 30 cm. Materials: Glass. Weight: 7 kg. Finish: Medium size, red and clear. “The history of a glass factory and its ...
Glass
Medium Blue Bandaska Matte Vase by Dechem Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium Blue Bandaska Matte vase by Dechem Studio. Dimensions: D 15 x H 25 cm. Materials: glass. Available in 4 sizes: D 15 x H 25/ D 18 x H 24/ D 9 x W 31/ D 22 x H 33 cm. Availa...
Glass
$751 / item
Trio Vase by Daniel Elkayam
Located in Geneve, CH
Trio Vase by Daniel Elkayam Edition of 2 Dimensions: D 2.5 x W 16 x H 46 cm Materials: Burnt beech wood Jerusalem-born Art-designer and Photographer ...
Beech