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.
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
$795 / item
Tabu P Wall Lamp by Studio Orth
Located in Geneve, CH
Tabu P Wall Lamp by Studio Orth Dimensions: W 10 x D 10 x H 21 cm Materials: Cast metal. Finishes: Polished Cast Brass or Polished Cast Aluminum Also available in Polished Cast Bras...
Metal
$300Sale Price|20% Off
Tolomeo Table Lamp Michele De Lucchi Giancarlo Fassina Artemide Italy PostModern
By Artemide, Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, a Tolomeo Table Lamp, an iconic piece of Italian lighting design. It was designed in 1987 (some sources cite 1989) by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina ...
Aluminum
$2,808 / 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
Ronda wall lamp Oluce Vico Magistretti 80s style
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Postmodern style Lamp "Ronda" wall lamp. Silver painted model. Designed by Vico Magistretti for Oluce. Unused condition. Light source E27 light bulbs. Using with 100-120V Able to ...
Steel
$1,006 / item
MMM Leaf Wall Sconce by MM Lampadari
Located in Geneve, CH
MMM Leaf Wall Sconce by MM Lampadari Dimensions: D 26 x W 12 x H 14 cm. Materials: Glass and metal. Different metal finishes are available. All our lamps can be wired according to e...
Metal
No. 13 Circle Blue, Grey Contemporary Art Wall Sconce by Sander Bottinga
Located in Geneve, CH
Circle blue grey, wall sconce, Sander Bottinga Dimensions: H 35 x W 27 x D 23 cm The design artwork is meticulously handcrafted in a limited series, sometimes in corporation with sm...
Brass
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
Set Of 2 Delphe White Cream Matt Ceramic Table Lamps by Grès Éditions
Located in Geneve, CH
Set Of 2 Delphe White Cream Matt Ceramic Table Lamps by Grès Éditions Unique Piece. Dimensions: Lampshade: Ø 32 x H 26 cm. Base: H 35 cm. Materials: Ecru cotton and ceramic. Weight: ...
Ceramic, Cotton
Sculptural Postmodern Sycamore and Art Glass Floor Lamp by Jean-François Crochet
By Sergio Terzani, Jean-Fracois Crochet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sculptural postmodern sycamore and art glass floor lamp by Jean-François Crochet for Terzani. Jean-François Crochet is a talented French product designer with many accolades to his ...
Steel
$11,234 / item
Cristallo Domo P Pendant Lamp by Studio Orth
Located in Geneve, CH
Cristallo Domo P Pendant Lamp by Studio Orth Dimensions: W 120 x D 23 x H 125 cm, H: Custom made. Materials: Cristallo quartzite and polished cast brass. Finishes: Polished Cast Bra...
Quartz, Metal
$1,329Sale Price / item|20% Off
Sistema Flu a Post Modern Floor Lamp design by Rodolfo Bonetto for Luci Italia
By Rodolfo Bonetto, Luci Italia
Located in Roma, IT
"Sistema Flu" is a magical lamp, and every time we find one in some corner of Italy we buy it to offer it to our customers. In this case we have 2 pieces of the tallest model, 180cm of twin floor lamps...
Metal
Postmodern Pyramide Shape Floor or Table Lamp from Heico, 1980s
By Heico
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern pyramid-shaped floor or table lamp by Heico. These lamps feature the graphic shape of a pyramid. The color scheme further enhances the clean, minimalist design. A strikin...
Plastic
$2,246 / 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
$2,820 / item
Aria Pendant Lamp by Saadia Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Aria Pendant Lamp by Saadia Design Dimensions: D 30 x W 180 x H 17 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal and rotomolded plastic. All our lamps can be wired according to each country. I...
Metal
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
$3,861 / 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
Wall lighting Murano glass large XXL, Italy 1980
By AVMazzega
Located in La xara, VC
Murano Glass wall lighting or Flush Mount , Italy, Late 1980s These are Murano glass ceiling or wall lights with a gilt gold incrustation metal bracket, from the production of Mura...
Gold Leaf
$1,474 / 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
Salvador Dalí Drawers Lamp by BD Barcelona, Pale Limewood, Spain
By Salvador Dalí, BD Barcelona Design
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Drawers lamp designed by Dali manufactured by BD. Carved structure in pale varnished limewood. Lampshade in beige linen. Measures: 30 x 30 x 87 H cm Sculpture-lamp drawers A stan...
Wood
No. 31 G Beige Uni Gold Color Contemporary Art Pendant Lamp Sander Bottinga
Located in Geneve, CH
No. 31 F Beige Gold Pendant Lamp Sander Bottinga Dimensions: D 44 x W 68 x H 50 cm. Materials: Brass, leather, wood, and dip-dyed colored viscose. ...
Brass, Other
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
"Estela" Lamp BRAZIL - 1997
By Fernando and Humberto Campana
Located in Forest, BE
Designed by the Brazilian due Humerto and Fernando Campana for Oluce in 1997, and integrating the permanent collection of Vitra, the “Estela” lamp uses a simple solution consisting o...
Metal
$1,287 / item
Twist Etiola Pendant Lamp by LAFABLIGHT
Located in Geneve, CH
Twist Etiola Pendant Lamp by LAFABLIGHT Dimensions: D 80 x H 30 cm Materials: Wooden structure woven with ecru cotton, textile cable with metal/wood rosette. LAFABLIGHT was born fro...
Metal
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
De-Light F2 Floor Lamp in Solid Brass by Jonathan Amar Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
De-Light F2 Floor Lamp in Solid Brass by Jonathan Amar Studio Dimensions: Ø 19 x H 139 cm Materials: solid brass, leather detail; shade in pleated fabric / hand-woven wicker / hand...
Brass
Wireless Moon Small Table Lamp by United Alabaster
Located in Geneve, CH
Wireless Moon Small Table Lamp by United Alabaster Dimensions: ⌀ 18 cm (Customizable Height) Materials: Alabaster, Copper (Matt Black finish) Also Available: Satin Gold, Nickel, Matt...
Alabaster, Copper
$1,404 / 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
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
Gaetano Pesce Ghost Lamp by Edizioni del Pesce, Resin & Metal, Italy
Located in Toronto, ON
Created through a process that celebrates imperfection and unconventionality, the luminous objects by Edizioni del Pesce embody Gaetano Pesce's distinctive philosophy. Each luminous ...
Metal
Ca Rezzonico I 12 Lights Chandelier in Gold Plate and Murano Glass by Aggiolight
Located in Geneve, CH
Ca Rezzonico I 12 Lights Chandelier in Gold Plate and Murano Glass by Aggiolight. Dimensions: D 120 x H 160 cm (+ 100 cm adjustable chain). Materials: Gold Plate, Artisan Murano Glas...
Gold Plate
1980s Post-Modern Halogen Desk Lamp, Articulated Design, Germany
Located in Den Haag, NL
Typical 80s articulated table lamp .Halogen 2 light strengths. good condition .
Plastic
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
Pair of Mid Century Modernist Ribbed Glass Outdoor Exterior Sconces
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Painted steel with patterned glass panels which are angled to direct light outward and downward. Very sleek and sexy. Can be parcel posted. In excellent vintage condition with minima...
Steel
$1,132Sale Price|35% Off
Barovier Toso Flush Mount Millefiori Murano glass large XXL 52 cm, Italy 1980
Located in La xara, VC
Barovier Toso Murano Glass Flush Mount Millefiori , Italy 1980s The glass item in the image is likely a Murano millefiori dome glass shade or ceiling lamp produced in Italy, charact...
Murano Glass
$480 / item
Isaac Maxwell Metal Wall Light Fixtures
Located in San Antonio, TX
Beautiful architectural metal wall fixture designed by Isaac Maxwell Metal features a plated copper star pattern with punched holes that cast softly diff...
Copper
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
Delphe White Cream Matt Ceramic Table Lamp by Grès Éditions
Located in Geneve, CH
Delphe White Cream Matt Ceramic Table Lamp by Grès Éditions Unique Piece. Dimensions: Lampshade: Ø 32 x H 26 cm. Base: H 35 cm. Materials: Jute and ceramic. Weight: 2,8 kg. Dimensio...
Ceramic, Jute
$83,194 / 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
$526Sale 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
$1,650 / item
Quartz Wall Sconce II by Aver
Located in Geneve, CH
Quartz wall sconce II by Aver Dimensions: W 14 x D 16 x H 55 cm Materials: Natural rocks, high-quality cut crystals, jewelry chains, hand-blown glass, other. Also Available: Matte Bl...
Stone, Crystal, Other
Postmodern Glass & Chrome Sconces in the Manner of Fontana Arte, a Pair
By Fontana Arte
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This pair of sconces of postmodern design are constructed of chrome and glass and have a very unusual look to them they will complete any post-modern room.
Chrome
$2,150 / item
Ceiba Lamp
Located in Mérida, MX
This lamp reads as a small ceramic totem that lives somewhere between the domestic object and sculpture. Its compact, archetypal conical silhouette can evoke a popular mexican tree k...
Clay, Resin
Large Guillerme et Chambron Double Wall Light Sconce
Located in Trensacq, FR
Guillerme & Chambron Double Wall Sconce – Blonde Oak, France, Circa 1970s A beautifully crafted double wall light sconce designed by the renowned French duo Jacques Chambron and...
Metal, Brass
$4,166 / item
Tube 8/100 Pendant Lamp by United Alabaster
Located in Geneve, CH
Tube 8/100 Pendant Lamp by United Alabaster Dimensions: D 8 x H 100 cm (Customizable Height) Materials: Alabaster, Copper (Matt Black finish) Also Available: Satin Gold, Nickel, Matt...
Alabaster, Copper
A Long POSTMODERN WALL APPLIQUE SCONCE in GINO SARFATTI Style, France 1970
Located in PARIS, FR
A large wall light or wall light bar type artist's dressing room or bathroom, Minimalist, Pop, Modernist, Space-Age, long rectangular base in chrome metal with rounded edges, with 5 ...
Metal
$643 / item
Nuit Table Lamp by Studio Indigene
Located in Geneve, CH
Nuit Table Lamp by Studio Indigene Dimensions: ⌀ 21 x H 28 cm Materials: Reclaimed Teak Wood, Brass. Colors Brown, Natural Wooden, Brass Finish. Echoing the archetypical form of a t...
Stainless Steel
Postmodern Desk Lamp
Located in New York, NY
A Postmodern red and black adjustable desk lamp. Shade and base are a red enameled metal. Neck is adjustable. In fine working order for US electric.
Metal
Venini Tesuto Suspension Chandelier, Murano Glass, Italy, Circa 1970
Located in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, FR
Italian world most famous glass factory, Venini company is set on Murano Island. It mastered the blowing techniques and different other like this tesuto technique. Probably designed...
Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
$1,867Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of "Cocktail" Jill Wall Lamps by King and Miranda for Arteluce, 1980s
By Arteluce, Perry King and Santiago Miranda
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
Axis Solis Limited Edition Pendant Lamp in Brazilian Stone by Otavio Motta
Located in Geneve, CH
Axis Solis Limited Edition Pendant Lamp in Brazilian Stone by Otavio Motta Signed, limited edition Dimensions: Ø 120 cm. Central body: Ø 80 cm Crystal spikes: 20 cm length each Mater...
Stone, Crystal, Brass, Steel
$1,158 / item
73.1 Pendant by Bocci
Located in Geneve, CH
73.1 pendant by Bocci. Dimensions: D 11.6 x H 300 cm. Materials: brushed nickel round canopy Weight: 2.7 kg White canopy also available. Due to the handcrafted nature of the 73 ...
Other, Nickel
$5,535 / item
Bengra FL4XL Lamp by Jeroen De Ruddere
Located in Geneve, CH
Bengra FL4XL lamp by Jeroen De Ruddere Dimensions: D 40 x H 157 cm Cord Lenght: 200 cm Dimmable: Yes Materials: Oak Brutal nature and textile. All pieces are CE certified. Each lam...
Textile, Oak
Swedish Designer, Wall Light, Bentwood, Paper, Plastic, Sweden, 1980s
Located in High Point, NC
An adjustable bentwood, paper and plastic wall light designed and produced in Sweden, c. 1980s. Please note lamp functions via plug in, cord feeding from stem close to backplate. O...
Plastic, Bentwood, Paper
Tabla table lamp by Mario Barbaglia & Marco Colombo for Italiana Luce, 1988.
By Italiana Luce, Mario Barbaglia and Marco Colombo
Located in Athens, Attiki
Tabla table lamp by Mario Barbaglia & Marco Colombo for Italiana Luce, 1988. Tabla has an extendable adjustable arm, made of lightweight polycarbonate plastic, that pivots on the pea...
Metal
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
Hero Lamp by Panorammma, Brass-Plated Stainless Steel, Stone Sphere, Sculptural
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Hero Lamp is a sculptural floor lamp virtuously crafted in stainless steel with a brass plated finish which holds a stone globe that gives off a warm candle-like light. This unique...
Steel, Stainless Steel
Circolo Cotton Pendant Lamp by Simone & Marcel
Located in Geneve, CH
Circolo Cotton Pendant Lamp by Simone & Marcel Dimensions: Ø 50 x H 150 cm. Materials: Cotton, brass and silicone. Custom options available on request. Please contact us. All our ...
Brass
$10,555 / item
Tryst Three Chandelier by Paul Matter
By Paul Matter
Located in Geneve, CH
Tryst three chandelier by Paul Matter. Materials: brass and porcelain finish glass. Dimensions: W 114.3 x H 182.8 cm. Wight: 15 kg. Tryst chande...
Brass
Halo Matte Cream White Ceramic Table Lamp by Grès Éditions
Located in Geneve, CH
Halo Matte Cream White Ceramic Table Lamp by Grès Éditions Unique Piece. Dimensions: Lampshade: Ø 30 x H 22 cm. Base: H 30 cm. Materials: Jute and ceramic. Weight: 2,6 kg. Electrica...
Ceramic, Jute