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.
Fiorucci Canister Italy, c. 1980
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
This is a tall metal canister with a matching lid by Fiorucci, made in Italy circa the 1980s. The image is repeated on both sides.
Steel
$1,317Sale Price|20% Off
Paul Hoff for Gustavsberg — Limited Edition Stoneware Pumpkin, 1989
By Paul Hoff, Gustavberg
Located in Bochum, NRW
A rare and beautifully crafted stoneware pumpkin by renowned Swedish designer Paul Hoff, produced by Gustavsberg in 1989. This striking piece comes from a limited edition of only 15...
Ceramic, Stoneware
$1,906 / item
Sira Vessel by Deetee Home
Located in Geneve, CH
Sira Vessel by Deetee Home Dimensions: W 29.21 x D 29.21 x H 113.03 cm Materials: Stoneware Elegant and sculptural, the Sira Vessel draws inspiration from timeless architectural for...
Ceramic, Stoneware
$1,102 / item
Terracotta Coiled Moon Jar by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Terracotta Coiled Moon Jar by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 23 x H 27 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Stoneware, Earthenware Available finishes: Experimental Glazes, e...
Earthenware, Stoneware
Set of Zebra Burnt Vase, Large White Vase and Small White Vase by Daniel Elkayam
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of Zebra burnt vase, large burnt vase and small burnt vase by Daniel Elkayam. Dimensions: D 12 x W 12 x H 30 cm (Zebra), D 12 x W 12 x H 30 cm (Large), D 12 x W 12 x H 20 cm (Sm...
Beech
$781 / item
Lightscape Vase by Derya Arpac
Located in Geneve, CH
Lightscape vase by Derya Arpac Unique piece Dimensions: D 10 x H 25 cm Materials: Glass Mouth-blown glass vases Derya Arpac is a Copenhagen based architect and furniture des...
Glass
Alessandro Mendini & Linde Burkhardt Limited Edition Ceramic by Superego 2000s
By Alessandro Mendini, Linde Burkhardt, Superego
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Limited edition ceramic vase model Colletto 4 from 4 Mani series, it was composed of two different pieces (a black one and a white one) designed by Alessandro Mendini decorated by Li...
Ceramic
$177 / item
Blue Vase by Siup Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Blue Vase by Siup Studio Dimensions: D15 x H28 cm Materials: Ceramics Siup is a small design studio based in Warsaw. The concept is created by three f...
Ceramic
$1,148 / item
Harlem Vase, Hand-Sculpted Contemporary Crystal
Located in Geneve, CH
Harlem vase, hand-sculpted contemporary crystal Decorative bowl Hand-sculpted in crystal Measures: L 21.3 x H 17.8 x D 10 cm Art Deco is a distinctive architectural style that ...
Crystal
Set of XL Revolved Burnt Vase, Slim Vase and Small Vase by Daniel Elkayam
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of XL revolved burnt vase, slim revolved burnt vase and small revolved burnt vase by Daniel Elkayam Dimensions: D 10 x W 10 x H 32 cm (XL), D 10 x W 10 x H 26 cm (Slim), D 10 x W...
Beech
$586 / 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
$4,690 / item
Moon Jar in Gloss by Solem Ceramics
Located in Geneve, CH
Moon jar in gloss by Solem Ceramics Dimensions: Ø 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Red stoneware, white slip, glaze. This Jar is also available in Raw and Obsidian finishes. Solem’s wo...
Stoneware
$1,101 / item
Terracotta Moon Jar No 6 by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Terracotta Moon Jar No 6 by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 14.5 x H 18.5 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Local Terracotta Clay from the Island of Crete Growing up in G...
Clay
Terracotta Moon Jar No 19 by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Terracotta Moon Jar No 19 by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 13.5 x H 16 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Local Terracotta Clay from the Island of Crete Growing up in Gr...
Clay
$2,664 / item
Anatolian 1 Vase by Güler Elçi
Located in Geneve, CH
Anatolian 1 Vase by Güler Elçi Dimensions: W 20.3 x D 20.3 x H 25.4 cm. Materials: Stoneware Ceramic. Güler Elçi is a ceramic artist based in Istanbul. In ...
Ceramic, Stoneware
$938 / item
Column Vase by Marta Bonilla
Located in Geneve, CH
Column vase by Marta Bonilla Dimensions: D27 x H37 cm Materials: Terracotta, Clay Column vase: Piece of high temperature hand modeled with pinkish brown clay with chamotte. Glaz...
Clay, Terracotta
Beige Stoneware Coiled Moon Jar by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Beige Stoneware Coiled Moon Jar by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 23 x H 27 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Stoneware, Earthenware Available finishes: Experimental Glaz...
Stoneware, Earthenware
Modern Brass and Copper Vessel
By Erik Johnson, Argosy Designs
Located in Treadwell, NY
SHADOW VESSEL (9:28 AM 9.14.23) Brass and copper Dimensions: 13” L x 2” W x 7.375” H Weight: 4.5lbs 1 of 1
Brass, Copper
$1,101 / item
Terracotta Moon Jar No 10 by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Terracotta Moon Jar No 10 by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 14 x H 18.5 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Local Terracotta Clay from the Island of Crete Growing up in Gr...
Clay
$485 / item
Crash 1 Vase by Zieta
By Zieta
Located in Geneve, CH
Crash 1 vase by Zieta Dimensions: D 20 x W 13.5 x H 30 cm Materials: stainless steel. Zieta's main goal is to deliver uniqueness and customization in design and construction while k...
Stainless Steel
Terracotta Moon Jar No 9 by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Terracotta Moon Jar No 9 by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 14 x H 18 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Local Terracotta Clay from the Island of Crete Growing up in Greec...
Clay
$177 / item
Papaya Vase by Siup Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Papaya vase by Siup Studio Dimensions: D13 x H21cm Materials: Ceramics Siup is a small design studio based in Warsaw. The concept is created by three ...
Ceramic
$177 / item
Blob Vase by Siup Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Blob Vase by Siup Studio Dimensions: D12 x W17 x H15cm Materials: Ceramics Siup is a small design studio based in Warsaw. The concept is created by th...
Ceramic
Grey Stoneware Coiled Moon Jar by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Grey Stoneware Coiled Moon Jar by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 23 x H 27 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Stoneware, Earthenware Available finishes: Experimental Glaze...
Earthenware, Stoneware
$1,942 / item
Kountess Vase by Purho
Located in Geneve, CH
Kountess vase by Purho Dimensions: D 25 x H 18 cm Materials: glass Other colours and dimensions are available. Purho is a new protagonist of made i...
Glass
$2,724 / item
Rio Vase by Purho
Located in Geneve, CH
Rio vase by Purho Dimensions: D15 x H58 cm Materials: Murano glass Available in other colors. Rio is a vase from the Laguna Collection designed by Ludov...
Murano Glass
Vintage Alessi Big Ovo Glass Biscuit Jar Designed by Joanna Lyle Italy
By Alessi
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Alessi Big Ovo Glass Biscuit Jar Designed by Joanna Lyle. Large Post Modern Big Ovo Jar designed by Joanna Lyle and manufactured by Alessi in It...
Glass, Plastic
$521 / item
Rustyvase 2 Stoneware Vase by Odatempo
Located in Geneve, CH
Rustyvase 2 stoneware vase by Odatempo Dimensions: W24.5 x D22.5 x H0.007 cm Materials: enameled white stoneware Audrey Langlet is a Paris-based ceramist. Trained in fashion and...
Stoneware
$1,172 / item
Petalo Blue Small Vase by Purho
Located in Geneve, CH
Petalo blue small vase by Purho Dimensions: D20 x H22 cm Materials: Glass other colours and Dimensions are available. Purho is a new protagonist of made in Italy design, a work of...
Glass
$1,871 / set
Set of 2 Volcan Duo Vase by Sophie Parachey
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Volcan Duo vase by Sophie Parachey Dimensions Big: W 37 x D 27 x H 9.5 cm Dimensions Small: W 18 x D 9 x H 21 cm Materials: Raw handpicked clay from Guatemala Also avail...
Clay, Stoneware
Modern Steel and Brass Vessel
By Argosy Designs, Erik Johnson
Located in Treadwell, NY
DUAL VESSEL NO.1 Hot-rolled steel plate, various brass alloys Dimensions: 10” L x 6.25” W x 10.75” H Weight: 15lbs 1 of 1
Brass, Steel
$293Sale Price|64% Off
Néstor Post-Modern Hand Painted Ceramic Vase, 1990
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Sizeable modernist ceramic handmade, hand painted vase manufactured in 1990 by Néstor. Multicolored cubist decorations in pink, yellow and blue under clear glaze. Beautiful vintage c...
Pottery, Stoneware, Ceramic
$1,800Sale Price|28% Off
Desk Component
By Erik Johnson, Argosy Designs
Located in Treadwell, NY
DESK COMPONENT (MONOLITH) APD00070 Hot rolled steel plate, bronze and mirror-polished brass 9.75” L 4.5” W 5.25” H 16.5lbs 1 of 1
Brass, Bronze, Steel
$3,648 / item
Moon Jar in Obsidian by Solem Ceramics
Located in Geneve, CH
Moon Jar in Obsidian by Solem Ceramics Dimensions: Ø 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Black Stoneware, Gold essence. This vase Jar is also available in Raw finish. Solem’s work pulls f...
Stoneware
$200Sale Price|20% Off
Post-Modern Italian Marble Lidded Jar
Located in San Diego, CA
Post-modern Italian marble lidded jar, circa 1970s. The jar is in very good vintage condition with no chips or cracks and measures 4"D x 5"H. Great pinkish ...
Marble
$3,126 / item
Medusa Vase by Casa Alfarera
Located in Geneve, CH
Medusa vase by Casa Alfarera Dimensions: D45.7 x H48.3 cm Materials: Matte Black glaze The Medusa Vase is a large flower pot or decorative piece that ta...
Glass
$3,500
Modern Brass Vessel
By Argosy Designs, Erik Johnson
Located in Treadwell, NY
VESSEL (COMET ENCKE) Various brass alloys Dimensions: 9” L x 4” W x 8.125” H Weight: 6lbs 1 of 1
Brass
Burned and Black Stained Solid Oak Lahmu Vase by Sizar Alexis
By Sizar Alexis
Located in Geneve, CH
Burned and Black Stained Solid Oak Lahmu Vase by Sizar Alexis Dimensions: W 24 x D 18 x H 35 cm Materials: Burned and Black Stained Solid Oak. About: Sizar Alexis is a Swedish-Iraqi...
Oak
$6,253 / item
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL
Located in Geneve, CH
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL Dimensions: W 29 x D 29 x H 71 cm. Materials: Porcelain, glaze, Iron underglaze prints, wheel throwing, 3D modeling, press mold, Anagama wood firing. ...
Ceramic
$6,253 / item
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL
Located in Geneve, CH
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL Dimensions: W 29 x D 29 x H 71 cm. Materials: Porcelain, glaze, Iron underglaze prints, wheel throwing, 3D modeling, press mold, Anagama wood firing. ...
Ceramic
$6,253 / item
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL
Located in Geneve, CH
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL Dimensions: W 29 x D 29 x H 71 cm. Materials: Porcelain, glaze, Iron underglaze prints, wheel throwing, 3D modeling, press mold, Anagama wood firing. ...
Ceramic
$6,253 / item
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL
Located in Geneve, CH
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL Dimensions: W 29 x D 29 x H 71 cm. Materials: Porcelain, glaze, Iron underglaze prints, wheel throwing, 3D modeling, press mold, Anagama wood firing. ...
Ceramic
$6,253 / item
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL
Located in Geneve, CH
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL Dimensions: W 29 x D 29 x H 71 cm. Materials: Porcelain, glaze, Iron underglaze prints, wheel throwing, 3D modeling, press mold, Anagama wood firing. ...
Ceramic
$6,253 / item
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL
Located in Geneve, CH
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL Dimensions: W 29 x D 29 x H 71 cm. Materials: Porcelain, glaze, Iron underglaze prints, wheel throwing, 3D modeling, press mold, Anagama wood firing. ...
Ceramic
$6,253 / item
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL
Located in Geneve, CH
Scroll Jar By Caspi Ceramics NL Dimensions: W 29 x D 29 x H 71 cm. Materials: Porcelain, glaze, Iron underglaze prints, wheel throwing, 3D modeling, press mold, Anagama wood firing. ...
Ceramic
$390 / item
Vase with Checkers by Caroline Harrius
Located in Geneve, CH
Vase with checkers by Caroline Harrius Dimensions: 22 H cm Material: Porcelain Vase with checkers, Also available: a few of these in different si...
Porcelain
Beige Stoneware Coiled Moon Jar by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Beige Stoneware Coiled Moon Jar by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 23 x H 27 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Stoneware, Earthenware Available finishes: Experimental Glaz...
Earthenware, Stoneware
$19,933 / item
Mica Vase by Paolo Marcolongo
Located in Geneve, CH
Mica Vase by Paolo Marcolongo Dimensions: D 46.6 x W 17 x H 16.5 cm Materials: Murano glass and Mica. Paolo Marcolongo was born in Padua in 1956, he atte...
Murano Glass
$3,126 / item
Medusa Black Vase by Casa Alfarera
Located in Geneve, CH
Medusa black vase by Casa Alfarera Dimensions: D 45.7 x H 48.3 cm Materials: Matte black glaze The Medusa Vase is a large flower pot or decorative p...
Glass
$24,363 / item
Surrounded by Sky Vase by Paolo Marcolongo
Located in Geneve, CH
Surrounded by Sky Vase by Paolo Marcolongo Dimensions: D 47.3 x W 16.7 x H 17 cm Materials: Murano Glass and Iron. Paolo Marcolongo was born in Padua in...
Iron
$24,363 / item
Surrounded by Green Vase by Paolo Marcolongo
Located in Geneve, CH
Surrounded by Green Vase by Paolo Marcolongo Dimensions: D 38.3 x W 16.5 x H 16.4 cm Materials: Murano Glass and Iron. Paolo Marcolongo was born in Padua in 1956, he attended the...
Iron
$461 / item
Crash 2 Vase by Zieta
By Zieta
Located in Geneve, CH
Crash 2 vase by Zieta Dimensions: D 18 x W 16 x H 25 cm Materials: stainless steel. Zietas main goal is to deliver uniqueness and customization in design and constructions while ke...
Stainless Steel
Cofete Brass Contemporary Sculptural Vase by Jan Garncarek
Located in Geneve, CH
Cofete Brass Contemporary Sculptural Vase by Jan Garncarek Dimensions: 37 x 18 x 18 cm Material: Brass Handcrafted by Jan Garncarek. Signed This unique vase was designed during the...
Brass
$177 / item
Ceramic Bubble Vase by Siup Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Ceramic bubble vase by Siup Studio Dimensions: D10 x H15cm Materials: Ceramics Siup is a small design studio based in Warsaw. The concept is created by three friends – Martyna D...
Ceramic
$17,588 / set
Set of 3 Emboridery Vases by Caroline Harrius
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 3 Emboridery Vases by Caroline Harrius Dimensions: 45 H cm Material: Porcelain The pieces with emboridery is about 45 cm high, coiled in p...
Porcelain
$1,563 / item
Anatolian 6 Vase by Güler Elçi
Located in Geneve, CH
Anatolian 6 Vase by Güler Elçi Dimensions: W 11.4 x D 11.4 x H 12.7 cm. Materials: Stoneware Ceramic. Güler Elçi is a ceramic artist based in Istanbul. In the light of her engineeri...
Ceramic, Stoneware
$1,101 / item
Terracotta Moon Jar No 12 by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Terracotta Moon Jar No 12 by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 14.5 x H 17 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Local Terracotta Clay from the Island of Crete Growing up in Gr...
Clay
$5,862 / item
Emboridery Vase by Caroline Harrius
Located in Geneve, CH
Emboridery Vase by Caroline Harrius Dimensions: 45 H cm Material: Porcelain The pieces with emboridery is about 45 cm high, coiled in porcelain, ...
Porcelain
$3,375 / item
Kastle Pink Small Vase by Purho
Located in Geneve, CH
Kastle pink small vase by Purho Dimensions: D20 x H35 cm Materials: Glass Other colours and dimensions are available. Purho is a new protagonist of made in Italy design, a wor...
Glass
$3,648 / item
Moon Jar in Raw by Solem Ceramics
Located in Geneve, CH
Moon Jar in Raw by Solem Ceramics Dimensions: Ø 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Red stoneware, white slip, glaze This Jar is also available in Gloss and Obsidian finish. Please contact us. ...
Stoneware