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.
Small Embrace Wall Sconce by Katrien Van Der Schueren
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Embrace Wall Sconce by Katrien Van Der Schueren Dimensions: W 30.48 x D 30.48 x H 10.16 cm Materials: Sculpted in concrete and plaster with LEDs Based in, produced and shipped...
Concrete, Other
$531Sale Price|40% Off
Murano Due wall lighting 24 ct Gilt gold , Italy 1990
By Murano Due
Located in La xara, VC
Murano Due lighting is highly sought after for several compelling reasons: • Exceptional Artistic Craftsmanship: Murano Due lights are made using centuries-old hand-blown glass tech...
Murano Glass
Memphis Style Wire Mesh Grid Lucite Table Lamps Post-Modern, Italy
Located in Vienna, AT
Pair of Wire Mesh Grid Lucite Table lamps Post-modern, Italy around 1980 sold as a pair Up for consideration is this post-modern pair of table lamps comprised of a metal grid mesh and a bent slab of translucent lucite. It casts a very subtle light. A very sculptural light in very good condition with hardly any signs of wear. Some minimal superficial scratches hardly noticeable. These lights cast an amazing light and are equipped with neon bulbs...
Metal
Lipparini “Lola” Flush Mount Light, Italian Postmodern Glass & Iron
By Lipparini
Located in Antwerp, BE
A sculptural Italian postmodern flush mount by Lipparini, dating from the 1990s, combining softly textured Murano-style glass with elegant dark metal scrollwork. This listing is for...
Iron
Sculptural Light No. 133, Handblown Glass and Brass, by Milla Vaahtera
Located in Geneve, CH
Sculptural light no. 133 by Milla Vaahtera Dimensions: D 60 x W 90 x H 90 cm Materials: Handblown glass, handcrafted brass. Sculptural Lights are handmade light fixtures that functi...
Brass
Pair of 'Canna Fiorita' Table Lamps by Castiglioni & Menghi for Fontana Arte
By Roberto Menghi, Fontana Arte
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This pair of 'Canna Fiorita' table lamps by Piero Castiglioni and Roberto Menghi for Fontana Arte, produced in Italy in the early 1980s, embodies the experimental spirit of late-Mode...
Brass
Medium Embrace Wall Sconce by Katrien Van Der Schueren
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium Embrace Wall Sconce by Katrien Van Der Schueren Dimensions: W 12.7 x D 12.7 x H 60.96 cm Materials: Sculpted in concrete and plaster with LEDs Based in, produced and shipped ...
Concrete, Other
Ami Floor Lamp by Garnier Pingree
By Asa Pingree
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Experimenting with steel mesh as a design material, we often find the studio filled with random shapes crowding out a tabletop like a little city skyline of uniform grids. The mesh w...
Steel
Sculptural Light No. 132, Handblown Glass and Brass, by Milla Vaahtera
Located in Geneve, CH
Sculptural light no. 132 by Milla Vaahtera Dimensions: D 44 x W 95 x H 70 cm Materials: Handblown glass, handcrafted brass. Sculptural Lights are handmade light fixtures that functi...
Brass
$3,899 / item
Vardo Table Lamp in Aluminum by Animate Objects
Located in Geneve, CH
Vardo Table Lamp in Aluminum by Animate Objects. Dimensions: W 18 x D 18 x H 40 cm. Materials: Aluminum, Transparent Powder Coating, Beige Powder Coating. All our lamps can be wired...
Aluminum
Postmodern German Vela Sail Floor Lamp A. Engbert Franz Ringelhan for Rolf Benz
By Rolf Benz
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern floor lamp by Rolf Benz based on a design by A. Engbert and F. Ringelhan from 1990. The design clearly shows its maritime inspiration. An abstract sailboat with an exagg...
Aluminum
Rare Jo-Jo n°2072 Pendant Lamp by Gino Sarfatti, Italy, 1953
Located in Montréal, CA
A rare five-disc variation of the iconic “Jo-Jo” pendant lamp designed by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce. Crafted from lacquered aluminum and methacrylate (lucite), the fixture is compos...
Aluminum
A Pair Of Travertine and Brass Floor Lamps By Michael Taylor
Located in London, GB
A Pair of floor lamps from the post modern era by American designer Michael Taylor, with travertine bases supporting a tapering stem with travertine sphere decorated with brass accen...
Travertine, Brass, Iron
First edition of Febo, Leucos, Roberto Pamio and Renato Toso, 1962
By Leucos, Roberto Pamio & Renato Toso
Located in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, FR
First edition of the Wall light Febo by Leucos and designed by Renato Toso and Roberto Pamio circa 1965. Very rare as few were made. The shade simply pose on the brass arm. The gla...
Brass
Italian modern table lamp Daphine Terra by Tommaso Cimini for Lumina, 2010s
By Lumina, Tommaso Cimini
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern floor lamp Daphine Terra by Tommaso Cimini for Lumina, 2010s Adjustable floor lamp model Daphine Terra in black painted metal. The compact base, complete with a switch...
Metal
$76,557 / item
Endless Summer Wall Sconce by Katrien Van Der Schueren
Located in Geneve, CH
Endless Summer Wall Light by Katrien Van Der Schueren Dimensions: W 238.76 x D 22.86 x H 101.6 cm Materials: Sculpted in concrete and plaster, with a liquid bronze finish with LEDs ...
Concrete, Other
Post Modern Murano Chandelier in the style of Ponti for Venini
Located in New York, NY
Brightly colored art glass chandelier made in Murano, Italy, in the style of Gio Ponti, for Venini, circa 1980/90's. The chandelier features eight arms, in polychrome saturated col...
Art Glass
Spire Fiberglass Ceiling Light by Enrico Botta for Diner, Italy, 1970s
By Enrico Botta, DINER Production
Located in Argelato, BO
Post -Modern 'Spire' (spirals) ceiling light by Enrico Botta for Diner, Italy, 1970. Made of curved and intertwined fiberglass sheets which are held together by a smart metal plu...
Fiberglass
Post modern murano glass floor lamp by Veart, 1990s
By VeArt
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Vintage 'Line' floor lamp designed by Jeannot Cerutti for Veart. The lamp has a metal tripod base and a murano glass conical lamp shade. Good condition, tested and ready for use. ...
Chrome
$2,835 / item
Baume #3 White Stoneware Lamp by Elisa Uberti
Located in Geneve, CH
Baume #3 White Stoneware Lamp by Elisa Uberti Limited Edition Of 2 Pieces + 1 AP Dimensions: Ø 40 x H 50/55 cm. Materials: White stoneware. The diameter of this piece is approximate...
Stoneware
1960s Pop Art Oversized Light Bulb Pendant Light
By Ingo Maurer
Located in Cathedral City, CA
1960s Pop Art Oversized Light Bulb Pendant Light Unique pendant lamp in the form of an oversized light bulb made of blown glass and metal cap with a red en...
Metal
Post-Modern Torchiere Floor Lamp by Kovacs
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Cool 1980’s Post-Modern Sculptural torchiere floor lamp by Robert Sonneman for Kovacs. In beautiful original condition. It takes 150 W halogen bulb. New inline dimmer. Measuremen...
Steel
Folia Cast Bronze and Brass Floor Lamp by Federico Stefanovich
Located in Geneve, CH
Folia Cast Bronze and Brass Floor Lamp by Federico Stefanovich. Dimensions: W 54 x D 45 x H 128 cm. Material: Cast Bronze, Brass. All our lamps can be wired according to each countr...
Brass, Bronze
$4,900
Black Ceiba Lamp
Located in Mérida, MX
The Ceiba lamp is a clay lamp handmade by artisans from Yucatan and designed by Chuch Estudio. The large scale clay as an ancestral tradition allowed the pr...
Clay
80s Rare Set of Vintage Postmodern Brutalist Hivo Van Teal Table Lamps
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
80s Very Rare Set of Vintage Postmodern Memphis Geometric Distressed Glass & Gold Leaf Designer Hivo Van Teal Table Lamps - a Pair Extraordinary and Super Rare Pair of 80s Postmodern Glass and Iron, Stacked, Acid Washed, Distressed Table Lamps...
Metal, Gold Leaf
Ettore Sottsas Tahiti Memphis Milano Postmodern
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Ettore Sottsass's Tahiti lamp. Materpiece of 1980s design.
Stainless Steel
Gae Aulenti for Francesconi ‘Singa’ Lamp
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gae Aulenti for Francesconi, ‘Singa’ lamp, plastic, steel, chrome-plated steel, Italy, 1975 This rare ‘Singa’ lamp is designed by Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti for Ita...
Steel, Chrome
Mid Century Floor Lamp Fackla, Ikea, Uplighter, Sweden, 1980s
By IKEA
Located in Praha, CZ
- very nice style of lighting.
Plastic
$1,417 / item
Gemelle #1 Recycled Clay Lamp by Elisa Uberti
Located in Geneve, CH
Gemelle #1 Recycled Clay Lamp by Elisa Uberti Unique Piece Dimensions: D 15 x W 34 x H 51 cm. Materials: Clay. This product is handmade; dimensions may vary. Please contact us. Aft...
Clay
Vintage Moon Lamp by Kare Design done in Verner Panton Style, Spain 1980s
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a Postmodern lamp, called Moon Lamp, manufactured by Kare Design. The lamp was designed after Verner Panton's Moon Pendant li...
Steel
Rare solid pair of french 1970s table lamps crafted in brass and travertine.
Located in København K, 84
This rare solid pair of French 1970s table lamps exemplifies the minimalist elegance and material sophistication characteristic of postmodern design. Crafted from brass and travertin...
Travertine, Marble
$1,885Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of "Cocktail" Jill Wall Lamps by King and Miranda for Arteluce, 1980s
By Perry King and Santiago Miranda, Arteluce
Located in Badajoz, Badajoz
Beautiful pair of Italian White Wall Sconces from 1980s. These pieces were made during the 1980s in Italy by Perry King and Santiago Miranda. The name of the manufacturer "Arteluce"...
Metal
Lovoa Trichilioides Tree African Walnut Torva Table Lamp by Hodan Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Lovoa Trichilioides Tree African Walnut Torva Table Lamp by Hodan Design Dimensions: W 60 x D 20 x H 10 cm Materials: Lovoa Trichilioides Tree African Walnut. Finish color: Charred b...
Walnut
Light Object 017 Pendant with 1 Light Tube in Brass by Naama Hofman
By Naama Hofman
Located in Geneve, CH
Light Object 017 Pendant with 1 Light Tube in Brass by Naama Hofman. Dimensions: D 3 x H 90 cm. Materials: Brass, Acrylic tube. Light: flexible LED strip light, 16W, 24V. All our la...
Brass
Postmodern Danish Light Blue Perforated Metal Pendant from Abo Randers, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Wall lamp by Danish manufacturer Abo Randers from the 1980s. The lamp body consists of a metal sheet bent into a large radius and painted blue. The front part is designed as a shade...
Metal
Ernesto Gismondi for Artemide First Edition 'Sintesi' Red Clamp Light
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ernesto Gismondi for Artemide, multi-way clamp lamp, model 'Sintesi Faretto Morsetto', first edition, coated iron, coated steel, aluminum, rubber, plastic, Italy, design 1976 The fo...
Metal, Iron
$7,125Sale Price|25% Off
Large Brass Reflector Pendant, in the Style of Paavo Tynell, 1970s
By Paavo Tynell
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
A custom-made polished bronze pendant light dating to the late 1970s-early 1980s. The design features a broad concave reflector with a central frosted diffuser, suspended from three ...
Bronze
Medium Gold Plated Dome Pendant Lamp by Rock & Soar, Post-Modern UK
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium Dome Pendant Lamp by Rock and Soar Dimensions: W 200 D 150 x H 85 cm Materials: Gold Plated, SS. 80 x Clear Texture Glass, 40 x Smoke Metallic Glass, 40 Botanical Etchings, 5...
Gold Plate
1980 Bieffeplast Postmodern Italian Design Black White Wall Lamp Sconces
By Bieffeplast
Located in Brescia, IT
Pair of Post Modern Sconces prod. Bieffeplast Italy, 1980 Black metal grind and white bent plexiglass Black and White metal wall frame The...
Metal
$1,805Sale Price|20% Off
Huge Venini Post-Modern handl-blown murano glass table lamp. Italy, 1970s
By Venini
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Large Italian table lamp made of thick Murano glass, manufactured by Venini in the 70s, Venice. Mushroom-shaped, handcrafted in soft cream-tone glass with swirling details in white a...
Metal, Steel, Chrome
80s Pop Art Desk Lamp in the Postmodern Memphis Style
Located in Montecalvoli, IT
80s Pop Art desk lamp in the postmodern Memphis Style 80s 90s Postmodern desk lamp that can be extended to different heights. In the base there is a screw...
Metal
Vintage Italian Postmodern Brera W Wall Lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos
Located in Hamburg, DE
The brera w is the wall lamp version from the brera series by flos based on a design by achille castiglioni. a simple and elegant wall light in glass and chrome. The egg-shaped lamp...
Metal
Rare Gaetano Pesce Resin Lamp
Located in Austin, TX
Rare post modern resin lamp by collectible artist Gaetano Pesce from his Olo series. "Olo" translates to "feeling" in English. Transformer and bulb...
Resin
Postmodern T+L Royal Series Typ L 133 Glas Wall Lamp from Keuco, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern glass wall light from the t+l royal bathroom cabinet series by keuco. the striking shape of the lamp is particularly eye-catching. A halved cone standing on top. The lamp...
Metal
Double Bronze Sconce by Solis Betancourt for Holly Hunt
By José Solís Betancourt 1, HOLLY HUNT
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Introducing the exquisite "Double Bronze" Sconce by Solis Betancourt for Holly Hunt, a sophisticated addition to elevate your interior décor. Crafted ...
Bronze
Post Modern Pendulum Torchiere Floor Lamp By Ron Rezek
By Ron Rezek
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
This Post Modern Pendulum Torchiere Floor Lamp by Ron Rezek is a striking example of late 20th-century design that balances sculptural form with functional lighting. Executed in a sl...
Metal
Pair of Chrome and Glass Wall Lamps in the Style of Gino Sarfatti, Italy, 1970s
By Arteluce
Located in Hagenbach, DE
This pair of chrome and glass wall lamps was produced in Italy in the 1970s and recalls the elegant, refined design language often associated with Gino Sarfatti. Each lamp features a...
Metal
Axel Chay Phallus Table Lamp Blue Lacquered Steel Glass Postmodern
Located in Lisboa, PT
The Phallus table lamp by French designer Axel Chay is a sculptural and collectible design object that operates at the intersection of postmodern design, surrealist influence, and co...
Brass, Steel
$720 / item
Small I Sonora Rattan Table Lamp by NASSI
Located in Geneve, CH
Small I Sonora Rattan Table Lamp by NASSI Dimensions: W 27 x D 27 x H 34 cm. Materials: Lampshade: coated iron, Natural rattan, cotton trimmings Base: wood-fired clay with beeswax f...
Clay, Cotton, Rattan
$2,280 / item
Marquise Opus Pendant Lamp by MM Lampadari
Located in Geneve, CH
Marquise Opus Pendant Lamp by MM Lampadari Dimensions: Ø 45 x H 40 cm. Materials: Glass and metal. All our lamps can be wired according to each country. If sold to the USA it will ...
Metal
Postmodern Italian Model Opus Terra Floor Lamp for Lumina, 1980s
By Lumina
Located in Hamburg, DE
Elegant standing lamp from the Italian manufacturer Lumina according to a design by Walter Monici and Paolo Salvo from the 80s. The entire luminaire body can be understood as a stag...
Metal
$2,375Sale Price|20% Off
Carlo Nason Postmodern Italian Murano Glass Chandelier for Mazzega, 1970s
By Carlo Nason, AVMazzega
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Beautiful Murano glass chandelier, made by Carlo Nason for Mazzega in the 70s, the chandelier is composed of sixteen cylindrical cannuoli and a blown glass disc, the structure is in ...
Steel
Beautiful 1970s Limburg glass ceiling lamp in octagon shape
Located in München, BY
Beautiful original 1970s glass ceiling lamp in an octagonal shape. The shade has small air bubbles. Manufactured by Limburg. Very high-quality workmanship. Made in Germany. Mounts d...
Brass
$1,488 / item
Twist Echino Chandelier by LAFABLIGHT
Located in Geneve, CH
Twist Echino Chandelier by LAFABLIGHT Dimensions: D 87 x H 125 cm Materials: Wooden structure woven with ecru cotton, textile cable with metal/wood rosette. LAFABLIGHT was born from...
Metal
$2,209 / item
Gweilo Qin Pe Floor Lamp by Parachilna
Located in Geneve, CH
Gweilo Qin Pe Floor Lamp by Parachilna Dimensions: D 65 x H 120 cm Materials: Acylic structure. Weight: 5 kg GWEILO QIN PE - GOLDEN ANODISED This collection is composed of a therm...
Acrylic
Stilnovo UFO pendant, Stilnovo, 1980
By Stilnovo
Located in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, FR
UFO suspension of a big milky opalescent globe made by the Italian brand Stilnovo in the 1980's. Light pendant for ceiling.
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Milk Glass, Murano Glass, Opaline Glass
Unique Luminaries N12 Sculptural Table Lamp by Maria Loram
By Maria Loram
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Luminaries N12 Sculptural Table Lamp by Maria Loram Dimensions: W 15.2 x D 15.2 x H 38 cm Materials: Ceramics, paper, and lamp parts. Colors: Black/Brown. Custom dimensions a...
Ceramic, Paper
Mid-size Postmodern Murano Glass Pendant Light by La Murrina
By La Murrina
Located in Chicago, IL
Elevate your space with this exquisite Murano glass pendant light by La Murrina. This chandelier features three tiers of Cristallo glass shells, each showcasing amber and white centr...
Brass
Early Arco lamp designed by Pier Giacomo & Achille Castiglioni for Flos, 1962
By Flos, Achille Castiglioni, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in Offenburg, Baden Wurthemberg
Arco Floor lamp designed by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos in 1962 manufactured by Flos, Italy ca. 1970, purchased by its prior owners in 1972. With early makers be...
Marble, Steel
$84,001 / item
Georgina Magnolia Cascade Pendant Lamp by 7Gods Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Georgina Magnolia Cascade Pendant Lamp by 7Gods Studio Dimensions: D 70 x W 150 x H 120 cm Materials: Branch: Carbon fibre, Flower: Hand beaten brass Weight: from 6-20 kg About: Ta...
Carbon Fiber