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.
Carlo Moretti Murano Satinato Yellow and Blue Glass Pencil-Neck Vase, Italy
Located in San Diego, CA
Striking vintage Italian Murano glass vase by Carlo Moretti, circa 1970s. Hand-blown in vivid citron-yellow glass with Moretti's characteristic acid-etched Satinato finish, the vase ...
Blown Glass
Medusa Vase (Large), Matte Cherry by Gaetano Pesce, Corsi
By Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, ON
Large 'Medusa' Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Colour: Matte Cherry *All the pieces are hand-made and therefore unique. Variations ...
Resin
Indian Summer Vase (Large), Clear Orange and Pastel Pink by Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, ON
Large "Indian Summer" Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Colour: Clear Orange and Matte Pastel Pink. *All the pieces are hand-made and...
Resin
Black Ceramic Perpetual Face Vase in the Style of Piero Fornasetti by TMS 2005
By Piero Fornasetti, TMS
Located in Troy, MI
Multi face ceramic vase in black by TMS Inc Vitruvian Collection 2005 Perpetual face design in the style of Piero Fornasetti Signed and dated to lower edge 8 inch diameter 9.5 inc...
Ceramic
Vintage Classic "MoMA" Glass Ribbon Tall Vase by Peter Hewitt, 1996
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Glass Ribbon Vase by Peter Hewitt, 1996 A "Museum of Modern Art" Design Store Classic " A ribbon of anodized aluminum metal is securely sandwiched between 3/8" plate glass walls to ...
Aluminum
$447Sale Price|35% Off
Murano Sommerso Glass Vase by Alessandro Mandruzzato, Italy, 1970s
By Alessandro Mandruzzato, G. Campanella & Co.
Located in Valencia, VC
A stunning Murano glass vase by Mandruzzato. Hand-produced in Venice circa the 1970s. Measurements: Height: 22.50cm (8.85 in.) Width: 13cm (5.10 in.) Depth:: 6cm (2.35 in) This va...
Art Glass, Sommerso, Murano Glass
$664 / item
Tabono Vase in Ceramic by Soheila Mahmoodi
Located in Geneve, CH
Tabono Vase in Ceramic by Soheila Mahmoodi Dimensions: D 13 x W 34 x H 28 cm. Materials: Ceramic Available in different colors. Please contact us. All our lamps can be wired accor...
Ceramic
Shiro Kuramata flower vase violet acrylic Japanese minimalist style
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Shiro Kuramata's acrylic flower vase. Aluminium tube put into acrylic block. It's great work of Japanese minimalist style. Transparent body makes complex light reflections around. ...
Aluminum
Crystalline Glaze Ceramic Vase, Red and Beige, American Art Studio Pottery
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
The monumental studio pottery ceramic vase is decorated with crystalline glaze in striking, dark red and beige palette. The vase was hand thrown on a wheel; beige color crystals on ombre colored base, shifting from purplish tones on top to deep, dark red on the bottom, were grown in a kiln during a very long, controlled firing. Each crystalline piece is unique due to the nature of the glaze. The vase was allowed to develop an abundance of distinct, graphic crystals, creating a free-flowing abstract pattern and adding rich texture to the minimally shaped piece. The vase was made by Wizards of Clay...
Ceramic, Pottery
Vintage Fused Glass Footed Vase, Hand Blown Art Glass
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Sculptural vintage vase is decorated with free-flowing fused red and yellow glass designs on mottled pink glass background; colored glass encases clear glass core, with clear glass ...
Art Glass, Blown Glass
Meritalia Tall Vase / Blue and Red by Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, ON
Each vase by Edizioni del Pesce embodies a singular and unrepeatable identity, telling a different story through innovative shapes, intricate details and a varied chromatic range. Th...
Resin
Postmodern Italian Opaline Murano Art Glass Chalice, Abstract Decoration, 1980s
Located in Valencia, VC
Postmodern Italian Opaline Murano Art Glass Chalice, Abstract Polychrome Decoration, 1980s Strikingly beautiful in the hand, this sculptural Italian art glass vessel is an elegant e...
Opal
$97Sale Price|60% Off
Miniature Murano Glass Vase with Bullicante, Gold Leaf, 1980s, Italy
Located in Glasgow, GB
A miniature Murano glass vase in vivid emerald green, attributed to Archimede Seguso and crafted in Italy circa 1980s. This small Italian art glass vase exemplifies the technical fin...
Gold Leaf
Large Vintage Italian La Musa Pottery Vase Signed Cheerful 1980's Colorful 15"
By La Musa
Located in Wilton, CT
Vintage La Musa pottery large vase glazed in a grid pattern of vibrant rainbow colors. Super bright and cheerful. Hand turned and hand painted. Circa 1...
Pottery
Indian Summer Vase (Large), Clear Turquoise and Silver by Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, ON
Large "Indian Summer" Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Colour: Clear Turquoise and Silver. * All the pieces are hand-made and theref...
Resin
Organic Sculptural Modern Minimalist Black Ceramic Medium Vase by Maku Ceramic
Located in Geneve, CH
Organic Sculptural Modern Minimalist Black Ceramic Medium Vase by Maku Ceramic Dimensions: Ø 30.4 x H 15.2 cm Materials: Ceramic, stoneware Maku Ceramic is an Istanbul-based ceramic...
Ceramic, Stoneware
Joel O'Dorisio for Lost Angel Glass Bud Vase, American Studio Art Glass, 2005
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Fused glass vase features complex multilayered colored glass core in dark Bordeau or burgundy red, cream, and sapphire blue colors, encased in clear glass in sommerso technique. Com...
Glass, Art Glass, Sommerso
Nugget Vase (Large), Clear Green and Matte Pink by Gaetano Pesce
By Gaetano Pesce, Corsi Design Factory
Located in Toronto, ON
Large "Nugget" Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Colour: Clear Bottle Green and Matte Pink. *All the pieces are handmade and therefor...
Resin
Postmodern Studio Pottery Vase, Textured Fat Lava Glaze Abstract Memphis Style
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
A striking postmodern studio pottery vase featuring a richly textured “fat lava” style glaze ground, overlaid with a dynamic abstract composition in the spirit of the Memphis design ...
Pottery
Spaghetti Special Vase (Large), Clear Blue and Matte Lime by Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, ON
"Spaghetti" Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. colour: Clear Blue and Matte Lime. *All the pieces are handmade therefore unique and th...
Resin
Post-Modern Italian Marble Vase
Located in San Diego, CA
Small post-modern Italian marble vase, circa 1980s. The vase is primarily a dark green in color, but has black and grey veining throughout. The vase is in very good vintage condition...
Marble
$2,109Sale Price|20% Off
Postmodern Murano glass vase by Ottavio Missoni, Italy
Located in Milano, IT
Magnificent multicolored Murano blown glass vase designed by the famous Ottavio Missoni and made in the 1980s, a true masterpiece that embodies the essence of artistic design of the ...
Murano Glass
Michel Harvey Pink Trompe-l’Oeil Ceramic Tank Top Vase Sculpture, Canada, 1980s
By Michel Harvey
Located in Toronto, CA
Playful, sculptural, and exceptionally rare, this trompe-l’œil ceramic vase by Canadian artist Michel Harvey reimagines a classic sleeveless tank top in a soft pink glaze—an uncommon...
Ceramic, Clay
Alessandro Diaz de Santillana Murano glass vase , signed 91 " Scozzesi"
By Alessandro Diaz de Santillana, Venini
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very nice Scozzesi work in this Venini murano glass designed by the well know artist Alessandro Diaz de Santillana.
Murano Glass
Michel Harvey Trompe-l'Oeil Paper Bag Ceramic Vase, 1980s
Located in Montréal, CA
Great — this fills in the picture nicely. The WorthPoint listing is particularly useful: this is a size #1 bag, measuring approximately 5½" high × 2⅞" wide × 1⅞" deep — which matches...
Ceramic
$520Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of Postmodern Italian Marble Vases
Located in San Diego, CA
Gorgeous pair of postmodern Italian marble vases, circa 1970s. Striking tan, brown, white and cream fleck throughout each vase. The pair are in ve...
Marble
Amphora Mini Vase in Polished Aluminum by CASPAL
Located in Geneve, CH
Amphora Mini Vase in Polished Aluminum by CASPAL Dimensions: Ø 20 x H 40 cm. Materials: Aluminum. Available in brushed, varnished, or polished aluminum. Available in two different ...
Aluminum
Vintage Frosted Flower Glass Block Vase, Post-Modern Design, 1980s
Located in Fairfield, CA
A unique vintage vase made from a glass block. A rounded rectangular opening has been cut into the top for use as a vase. Nice heavy weight, would work well doubling as a bookend. Ha...
Glass
Versace & Archimede Seguso Murano Blown Glass Footed Vase
By Archimede Seguso, Gianni Versace
Located in Downingtown, PA
Couture Glass: Gianni Versace by Archimede Seguso Murano Vase, circa 1990 A superb example of late-20th-century design collaboration, this Murano blown glass footed vase embodies th...
Blown Glass
$326Sale Price|20% Off
Turquoise Glass Amphora Vase by Jerzy Słuczan-Orkusz, Poland, 1980s
Located in Glasgow, GB
This turquoise cased glass amphora vase by Jerzy Słuczan-Orkusz for Tarnowiec Glassworks was produced in Poland in the early 1980s and reflects a modern interpretation of classical v...
Art Glass
Handcrafted Yellow Beige Art Glass Vase Kosta Boda Style, 1980s
By Kosta Boda
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Handcrafted rectangular beige art glass flower vase in Kosta Boda style. In the style of Designer Bertil Vallien Art glass vase, circa 1980 for Kosta Boda. ...
Glass, Art Glass
Wabi Sabi Sculptural Textured Black Small Stoneware Vase by Maku Ceramic
Located in Geneve, CH
Wabi Sabi Sculptural Textured Black Small Stoneware Vase by Maku Ceramic Unique piece Dimensions: Ø 25.4 x H 15.2 cm Materials: Ceramic, Stoneware, Clay Maku Ceramic is an Istanbul-...
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
Pair of Scavo Murano-Style Glass Vessels Bud Vases Pink Verdigris Metal Handles
By Cenedese, Cenedese Scavo, Gino Cenedese
Located in Round Top, TX
A set of two glass bud vases with verdigris metal caps. These 1980s pieces are designed to be displayed as a set; they differ in form, yet are topped with the same geometrically plea...
Metal
Murano glass vase, Anthropomorphic (face) vase
Located in London, GB
A whimsical and stylized art glass vase in the shape of an expressive human face. The body is characterized by a vibrant, mottled pattern in shades of teal, deep blue, and black, ach...
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Handmade Nordic Home Decor Textured Ceramic Small Vase by Maku Ceramic
Located in Geneve, CH
Handmade Nordic Home Decor Textured Ceramic Small Vase by Maku Ceramic Dimensions: Ø 25.4 H 10.1 cm Materials: Ceramic, Stoneware Maku Ceramic is an Istanbul-based ceramic studio fo...
Ceramic, Stoneware
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
Murano glass face vase, Anthropomorphic sculptural vase
Located in London, GB
A striking, whimsical Italian art glass vase handcrafted on the island of Murano. The vessel is shaped like an abstract, elongated head with a multi-colored, textured body featuring ...
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Vintage Black, Red and Yellow Encased Hand-Blown Murano Glass Flower Vase, Italy
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1980s. It is made in encased and hand-blown Murano glass. With its original label. This vase is vintage, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it can be c...
Murano Glass
Corsi Medusa Vase (Large), Matte White by Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, ON
Large Matte White "Medusa" Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. * All the pieces are hand-made and therefore unique. Variations in the hu...
Resin
Shiva Penis Vase, Ceramic Decorative Object, Unique Design, Sottsass Design
By BD Barcelona Design, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Ettore Sottsass Shiva Ceramic Flower Vase. Original design dates to the early 70's. This one is probably 10-15 years old?!
Ceramic
$1,008 / item
Unfolding Vase by Moldra
Located in Geneve, CH
Unfolding Vase by Moldra Dimensions: D 35 x H 22 cm Materials: Stoneware Moldra is a ceramic studio devoted to sculptural vases and objects. Rooted in the ancestral hand-building te...
Stoneware
Post-Modern Glass Vase by Massimo Giacon for Vis-à-vis Collection of Ritzenhoff
Located in Doornspijk, NL
Cheerful glass vase designed by Massimo Giacon for the Vis-à-vis Collection of Ritzenhoff, 1999. The stubble rowdy face looks at us in a somewhat challenging but also friendly man...
Glass
Postmodern German Studio Pottery Vase from Till Sudeck, 1980s
By Till Sudeck
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Modern German Studio Pottery Vase from Till Sudeck, 1960s
Ceramic
1980s Studio Art Pottery Raku Amphora Vase in Iridescent Cobalt Blue
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
Sculptural studio art pottery vase featuring a dramatic amphora form with four loop handles and richly textured crossed appliqué decoration. Finished in a striking cobalt blue glaze ...
Pottery
$871 / item
Lehar Vase by Deetee Home
Located in Geneve, CH
Lehar Vase by Deetee Home Dimensions: D 31.75 x H 44.45 cm Materials: Stoneware The Lehar Vase is a sculptural ceramic piece defined by rhythmic hand-painted lines that flow across ...
Stoneware
Small Breakout Vase in Gypsum & Fiberglass by Brent Warr Studios
By Brent Warr
Located in Bainbridge, GA
The Small Breakout Vase by Brent Warr is a sculptural statement piece that embraces organic form and material experimentation. Hand-shaped from a proprietary blend of gypsum, pulp, a...
Epoxy Resin, Fiberglass, Plaster, Paint
Twins C Vase (Large), Clear Aqua and Lilac by Gaetano Pesce
By Gaetano Pesce, Corsi Design Factory
Located in Toronto, ON
"Twins C" Large Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Colour: Clear Aqua and Lilac. *All the pieces are hand-made and therefore unique. V...
Resin
Meritalia Papavero Vase / Black and Yellow by Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, ON
Each vase by Edizioni del Pesce embodies a singular and unrepeatable identity, telling a different story through innovative shapes, intricate details and a varied chromatic range. Th...
Resin
Vittorio Mazzuconni Firenze Bowl Silver-Plated Vide Poche Vase Post-Modern
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, a Vittorio Mazzucconi silverplate modernist bowl (also referred to as a vide poche or vase). Designed and signed by Vitto...
Silver Plate
White, Black and Blue Hand-Painted Ceramic Jug / Vase in the Style of Picasso
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in France, 1960s - 1970s. It is made in white hand-painted ceramic with blue and black motifs, that recalls Pablo Picasso's style. It is a vintage item, therefore it might show ...
Ceramic
Pair of Large Porcelain Vases by Björn Wiinblad for Rosenthal Germany, 1970s
Located in Morazzone, Varese
Pair of Large Porcelain Vases by Björn Wiinblad for Rosenthal Germany, 1970s A stylish pair of different, full decorated large porcelain vases, designed by Bjorn Wiinblad for Rosent...
Porcelain
$1,215 / item
Stoneware, Distressed Vessel NO.2 by Alexandria Roby
Located in Geneve, CH
Stoneware, Distressed Vessel NO.2 by Alexandria Roby Dimensions: D 17.78 x H 20.32 cm Materials: Black and White Stoneware Lined with Bronze Glaze Colors - Sandstone/Ivory or Onyx/Iv...
Stoneware
$4,126Sale Price / item|20% Off
Ettore Sottsass Y29 Vase in Black 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
Riccio' Vase by Gae Aulenti in Green for Venini, Italy 2006
By Venini, Gae Aulenti
Located in Hellouw, NL
Some objects rely on contrast rather than complexity. The ‘Riccio’ vase by Gae Aulenti for Venini, designed in 2006 follows this approach through the combination of a sculptural silh...
Murano Glass
Tokuda Yasokichi III spherical almost shape large vase , signed , No Box
By Yasokichi Tokuda III
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is an amazing vase by the Master ceramist Yasokichi from the lineage of potters National Treasure from centuries in Japan. This is a large amazing signed in bottom vase, No Box ...
Porcelain
$424Sale Price|37% Off
1980s Postmodern Cased Glass Amphora Vase by Jerzy Słuczan-Orkusz, Poland
Located in Glasgow, GB
A bold and sculptural cased glass vase designed by Jerzy Słuczan-Orkusz and produced by Tarnowiec Glassworks, Poland, during the 1980s. This piece reflects a distinctly postmodern re...
Art Glass
Le Petit Poisson Beige Sandstone Vase by Lou Thomas
Located in Geneve, CH
Le Petit Poisson Beige Sandstone Vase by Lou Thomas Dimensions: ⌀ 18 x H 14 cm Materials: Beige sandstone "Drawing on her extensive travels to Japan, Mexico, and Morocco, Lou Thomas...
Sandstone
Large Red Millefiori & Murine Vase, Murano Glass In Style of Dino Martens 1980s
By Dino Martens
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage Murano glass vase was made in flask shape with graphic abstract patterns on both back and front sizes of the vase. The solid red glass gather was decorated with fused multic...
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Murrine, Glass
Post-Modern Glass Vase by Roger Selden for Vis-à-vis Collection of Ritzenhoff
By Roger Selden
Located in Doornspijk, NL
Cheerful glass vase designed by Roger Selden for the Vis-à-vis Collection of Ritzenhoff, 1999. This black and white vase from the Vis-à-vis Collection has a stylized cartoon chara...
Glass
Organic Sculptural Modern Minimalist Black Ceramic Small Vase by Maku Ceramic
Located in Geneve, CH
Organic Sculptural Modern Minimalist Black Ceramic Small Vase by Maku Ceramic Dimensions: Ø 12.7 x H 25.4 cm Materials: Ceramic, stoneware Maku Ceramic is an Istanbul-based ceramic ...
Ceramic, Stoneware