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.
$12,451 / item
Yeager Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Yeager Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 243.84 x L 299.72 cm. Materials: Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rugs, with...
Silk
$6,631 / item
Night Edit Hoganas Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Night Edit Hoganas Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 200.6 x L 200.6 cm. Materials: Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rugs, with ...
Silk
Kastrup Closed On Sunday Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Kastrup Closed On Sunday Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of orga...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
$24,225 / item
United Baskets by RF Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
United baskets by RF Studio Unique Piece Dimensions: D 300 x H 310 cm Materials: Reed United Baskets explores the process of landscape transformation and the persistence of local cr...
Reed
Peter Shire Exp Signed Post Modern Ceramic California Pottery Splatter Cup, 1979
By Peter Shire
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful work by famed Los Angeles (Echo Park), California-based artist Peter Shire who was a founding member (along with Italian designer Ettore Sottsass and others) of The Memph...
Ceramic, Pottery
$8,615 / item
Engelholm Nobu Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Engelholm Nobu Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 170.18 x L 238.76 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped ru...
Wool, Silk
$3,521 / item
Charcoal Petal Gourd I by Julie Nelson
Located in Geneve, CH
Charcoal Petal Gourd I by Julie Nelson -One Of A Kind- Dimensions: D 28 x H 22 cm Materials: Ceramic stoneware and porcelain. Artist Julie Nelson uses the materiality of clay as a m...
Ceramic, Porcelain
$3,376 / item
Star Petal Gourd III by Julie Nelson
Located in Geneve, CH
Star petal gourd III by Julie Nelson One Of A Kind Dimensions: D 22 x H 26.5 cm Materials: Ceramic stoneware and porcelain Artist Julie Nelson uses ...
Ceramic, Porcelain
$5,058 / item
Silver Hoganas Frozen Cut Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Silver Hoganas Frozen Cut Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rug...
Silk
Peter Shire Signed Ceramic California Exp Studio Pottery Splatter Bowl, 1982
By Peter Shire
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful and scarce work by famed Los Angeles (Echo Park), California based artist Peter Shire who was a founding member (along with Italian designer Ettore Sottsass and others) o...
Ceramic
$6,631 / item
Night Edit Kalix Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Night Edit Kalix Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 200.6 x L 200.6 cm. Materials: Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rugs, with hi...
Silk
Signed Southwestern Landscape Painting with Horses, Dated 1994
Located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
This evocative Southwestern landscape painting, signed and dated 1994, presents a stylized desert scene animated by a group of galloping horses set against monumental rock formations...
Canvas
Pisces Crackle Glaze Ceramic Sculpture by Stephanie Phillips
Located in Geneve, CH
Pisces Crackle Glaze Ceramic Sculpture by Stephanie Phillips Dimensions: D8 x W 27 x x H 30 cm Materials: Ceramic Also available in other colors and custom sizes from 20cm tall - 5...
Ceramic
$6,510 / item
Pescina Salvano Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Pescina Salvano Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rugs, w...
Wool, Silk
Push Me Pull You Goldene Glaze Ceramic Sculpture by Stephanie Phillips
Located in Geneve, CH
Push Me Pull You Goldene Glaze Ceramic Sculpture by Stephanie Phillips Dimensions: D 9 x W 35 x x H 40 cm Materials: Ceramic, Gold Also available in other colors and custom sizes f...
Gold
$2,758 / item
Ochre Mid Pentacle III by Julie Nelson
Located in Geneve, CH
Ochre mid pentacle III by Julie Nelson. One of a kind. Dimensions: W 24 x D 30 x H 22 cm. Materials: ceramic stoneware and porcelain. Artist Julie Nelson...
Ceramic, Porcelain
Post Modern Abstract Hand-Carved Mother & Child Sculpture, USA, c. 1970's
Located in Deland, FL
Introducing a heart-warming abstract sculpture depicting a parent with child in embrace. Hand-carved in solid walnut with an alluring ebonized this exquisite, visually captivating sc...
Walnut
$6,510 / item
Castilian La Presa Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Castilian La Presa Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, f...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
$6,510 / item
Alnarp Lose Control Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Alnarp Lose Control Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, ...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
$6,510 / item
Coutinho Trasher Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Coutinho Trasher Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, fre...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
Hand-Knotted Ivory Wool Rug – Low Pile Berber, Rectangular 305 by Mohebban
Located in Geneve, CH
Hand-Knotted Ivory Wool Rug – Low Pile Berber, Rectangular 305 by Mohebban Dimensions: W 305 x L 245 cm Materials: Wool. The Berber collection is inspired by the tradition of Morocc...
Wool
Kastrup Closed On Sunday Night Edit LR Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Kastrup Closed On Sunday Night Edit LR Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of o...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
$6,691 / item
Silver Nausta Frozen Cut Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Silver Nausta Frozen Cut Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 170.18 x L 238.76 cm. Materials: Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rug...
Silk
$6,510 / item
Flicker Sycamore Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Flicker Sycamore Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, fre...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
$8,542 / item
Brage 28 Grader Diaz Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Brage 28 Grader Diaz Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 200.66 x L 200.66 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form sha...
Wool, Silk
$180Sale Price|20% Off
Thierry Mugler Angel Etoile Collection Factice with Box
By Thierry Mugler
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful Thierry Mugler 2.6 fluid ounce “Etoile Collection” Eau de Parfum factice-dummy in mint condition. This piece comes in the factory box with molded stand. The piece has color...
Glass, Plastic
$16,589 / item
CF BP Bluepass by Caturegli Formica
Located in Geneve, CH
CF BP bluepass by Caturegli Formica Dimensions: W 225 x L 240 cm Materials: Wool Carpets as deep information Carpets are very common items. But it has never really been clear...
Wool
Hagi Spot Raku Clay Ceramic Sculpture by Stephanie Phillips
Located in Geneve, CH
Hagi Spot Raku Clay Ceramic Sculpture by Stephanie Phillips Dimensions: D 14 x W 32 x x H 40 cm Materials: Ceramic, Raku Clay Also available in other colors and custom sizes from 2...
Ceramic, Clay
$6,510 / item
Coster Napa Nobu Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Coster Napa Nobu Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped r...
Wool, Silk
Postmodern Pottery French Horn Steve Smeed 1997
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
Whimsical pottery French Horn by Steve Smeed 1997. Steve Smeed has made a variety of unusual and sometimes whimsical bugles. They are instruments of a combination of extruded, slab-...
Pottery
Italian Murano Art Glass Paperweight Lily Flower with Curled Stem Sculpture 1980
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Italian Murano Art Glass Lily Flower with Curled Stem Paperweight. VIntage Murano Italian Art Glass Flower Sculpture Decorative Object, 1980s. Beautiful blown art glass Murano lily...
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Push Me Pull You Crawl Glaze Raku Clay Ceramic Sculpture by Stephanie Phillips
Located in Geneve, CH
Push Me Pull You Crawl Glaze Raku Clay Ceramic Sculpture by Stephanie Phillips Dimensions: D 10 x W 37 x x H 45 cm Materials: Ceramic, Raku Clay Also available in other colors and ...
Ceramic, Clay
$6,510 / item
Castilian Las Alturas Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Castilian Las Alturas Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free...
Wool, Silk, Mohair
$6,510 / item
Engelholm Nobu Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Engelholm Nobu Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
$6,510 / item
Oak Point Dr La Brea Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Oak Point Dr La Brea Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
Eberhard Bank Carving, Sculpture of Two Dolomite Seals, on Black Obsidian Base
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This an amazing carving by the German certified artist Eberhard Bank. This sculpture is of two seals in white dolomite on snowflake black obsidian , seals are marked with monogram EB...
Stone
Sand Atlas – Beige and Taupe Hand-Knotted Wool Rug, Rectangular 250 by Mohebban
Located in Geneve, CH
Sand Atlas – Beige and Taupe Hand-Knotted Wool Rug, Rectangular 250 by Mohebban Dimensions: D 250 cm Materials: Wool. The Atlas rug collection is the story of an eternal and unstopp...
Wool
$1,290Sale Price|40% Off
Supernova Shag Rug with Abstract Design, circa 1970
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Swedish shag wool area rug with an abstract Supernova design resembling a sun featuring various shades of browns and burnt orange. An excellent colorful rug to accent your room with ...
Textile
$6,691 / item
Night Edit Nausta Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Night Edit Nausta Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 170.18 x L 238.76 cm. Materials: Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rugs, with...
Silk
John Wayne Silhouette, from a Traveling Cinema, 1980-1997
Located in Saint ouen, FR
Silhouette From a traveling cinema 1980-1997 Print on cardboard, wooden backing Dimensions: 190 x 70 cm.
Wood, Paper
$3,666 / item
Pouf Charaktere Colette by Lyk Carpet
Located in Geneve, CH
Pouf Charaktere colette by Lyk Carpet Dimensions: Ø 62 x H 47 cm. Materials: 100% tibetan highland-wool,new pure hand-combed and hand-spun wool, natural vegetable-dyed wool, 100 knot...
Wood
$6,510 / item
Murella Torres Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Murella Torres Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rugs, wi...
Wool, Silk
Hand-blown Glass Indian Diablo - White & Black Skull & Snake
Located in Mumbai, India, Maharashtra
Indian Diablo, 2024 Grant Garmezy in collaboration with Evan Schauss for Rural Modern Glass Studio using the technique of Hot Glass Sculpting As the first art-glass studio and one-o...
Art Glass, Blown Glass
Bamboo Silk Celestial Object C-Y21 Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Bamboo Silk Celestial Object C-Y21 Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 300 x L 320 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. In 'Le Météore de la Nuit', Calle Henzel unveils a series of mo...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
$8,542 / item
Amato Nayer Parma Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Amato Nayer Parma Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 200.66 x L 200.66 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rugs...
Wool, Silk
$6,510 / item
Laurel Canyon Jackson Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Laurel Canyon Jackson Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
Hand-blown Clear Glass Skull & Black Snake with Silver Gilding
Located in Mumbai, India, Maharashtra
Skull & Snake, 2024 Grant Garmezy in collaboration with Evan Schauss for Rural Modern Glass Studio using the technique of Hot Glass Sculpting, Silver Gilding on Snake by Prachi Kawad...
Art Glass, Blown Glass
$5,832 / item
Crust N°2 by RF Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Crust N°2 by RF Studio Dimensions: W 34 x D 34 x H 49 cm Materials: Diverse recycled amazon timber Crust is part of the concept of skin that covers mineral and vegetable organisms a...
Wood
$54,863 / item
CF F1 2018 by Caturegli Formica
Located in Geneve, CH
CF F1 2018 by Caturegli Formica. Dimensions: W 320 x L 230 cm Materials: Silk Carpets as deep information Carpets are very common items. But it has never really been clear if...
Silk
Bamboo Silk Celestial Object A-C06 Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Bamboo Silk Celestial Object A-C06 Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 250 x L 280 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. In 'Le Météore de la Nuit', Calle Henzel unveils a series of mo...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
$6,752 / item
Alta Caletta 81 Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Alta Caletta 81 Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 200.66 x L 200.66 cm. Materials: Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rugs, with h...
Silk
Engelholm Nobu Dark Silver 96 Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Engelholm Nobu Dark Silver 96 Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 170.18 x L 238.76 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free...
Wool, Silk
Artisan Greige Cord Pure 250 Round Rug in Hand-loomed Bamboo Silk by Mohebban
Located in Geneve, CH
Artisan Greige Cord Pure 250 Round Rug in Hand-loomed Bamboo Silk by Mohebban Dimensions: D 250 cm Materials: Bamboo Silk The Pure collection is made of fine hand-spun and hand-wove...
Wool
$12,983 / item
Bamboo Silk Celestial Object C-Y32 Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Bamboo Silk Celestial Object C-Y32 Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 320 x L 360 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. In 'Le Météore de la Nuit', Calle Henzel unveils a series of mo...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
Nobu Black Ice Cut Tired Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Nobu Black Ice Cut Tired Night Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Wool, Mohair & Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of orga...
Wool, Mohair, Silk
$6,510 / item
Engelholm Nobu Silver 95 Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Engelholm Nobu Dark Silver 95 Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-...
Wool, Silk
$6,510 / item
Amato Nayer Cagli Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Amato Nayer Cagli Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rugs,...
Silk, Wool
$5,058 / item
Taupe Hoganas Cobalt Frozen Cut Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Taupe Hoganas Frozen Cut Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Silk. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form shaped rugs...
Silk
Engelholm Nobu Angora Taupe 97 Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Engelholm Nobu Angora Taupe 97 Edit Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 139.7 x L 220.98 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free...
Wool, Silk
$8,542 / item
Tired Edit Amato Nayer Cagli Rug by HENZEL STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Tired Edit Amato Nayer Cagli Rug by HENZEL STUDIO Dimensions: W 200.66 x L 200.66 cm. Materials: Silk, Wool. Calle Henzel stands as a trailblazer in the realm of organic, free-form ...
Wool, Silk