Post-Modern Armchairs
POSTMODERN STYLE
Strictly speaking, postmodern design was a short-lived movement that manifested itself chiefly in Italy and the United States in the early 1980s. The characteristics of postmodern furniture and other postmodern objects included hot-colored, loud-patterned, usually plastic surfaces; strange proportions and weird angles; and a vague-at-best relationship between form and function.
Critics derided postmodern design as a grandstanding bid for attention and nothing of consequence. The fact that, decades later, postmodern design still has the power to provoke thoughts (along with other reactions) proves they were not entirely correct.
Postmodernism 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. In the next decade in Milan, a cohort of designers led by Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini brought the discussion to bear on design.
Sottsass and Michele de Lucchi, in 1980, gathered a core group of young designers, which would come to include Michael Graves, Marco Zanini, Shiro Kuramata and Matteo Thun, into a design collective they called Memphis. The Memphis Group saw design as a means of communication and they wanted it to shout. That it did: the first Memphis collection appeared in 1981 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. After the initial Memphis show caused an uproar, postmodern design quickly took off in America. The architect Robert Venturi had 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 collection of postmodern furniture includes seating, decorative objects, lighting fixtures and more.
191
157
7
to
30
221
89
7,310
3,480
1,703
1,211
484
411
336
249
235
195
185
171
167
159
144
100
58
22
191
164
8
166
3
5
21
93
13
Height
to
Width
to
Depth
to
246
155
79
105
67
94
63
82
61
75
58
75
188
142
138
103
97
355
213
256
257
104
57
49
39
21
14
12
12
9
Style: Post-Modern
Mario Bellini Set of Four Black 'Cab' Dining Chairs in Leather
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Bellini for Cassina, set of four 'cab' dining chairs model 412, black leather, Italy, 1976
Conceptually, the chair was designed to become marked and shaped over time by its us...
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel
2 Gliss 920 Chairs by Claudio Dondoli & MarCo Pocci, 'Price is for 1 Chair'
By Pedrali
Located in London, GB
Price is for 1 chair, happy to sell singly or as a pair.
The Gliss 920 armchair, designed and manufactured in Italy by Claudio Dondoli and Marco Pocci of the Archirivolto studio f...
Category
2010s Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel
Oslo Armchair Arctic Fox Throw by Pepe Albargues
By Missana
Located in Geneve, CH
Oslo armchair - arctic fox throw by Pepe Albargues
Dimensions: W65, D60, H73, Seat 44
Materials: Beech wood structure.
Foam CMHR (high resilience and flame retardant) for all our ...
Category
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
Steel and Leather FM62 Chair by Radboud Van Beekum for Pastoe, 1980s
Located in London Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire
A steel and leather FM62 chair by Radboud Van Beekum for Pastoe, 1980s.
Constructed from geometrically folded steel with bent ply seating. Inspired by the designs of Gerrit Rietv...
Category
Late 20th Century Dutch Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel
Cassina 'Viola d'amore' Armchairs by Piero Martini
By Cassina
Located in Antwerp, BE
Postmodern luxury lounge chairs by Piero Martini for Cassina, 1970s.
The camel leather and wooden details are in exceptionally well preserved condition.
Down filled cushions make...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Leather, Wood, Down
ELO Armchair and Footstool Set for Indoor and Outdoor Use by Filipe Ramos
By Filipe Ramos
Located in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo
ELO armchair paired with stool to create a chaise for outdoor terrace or poolside.
The ELO chair is designed to provide a different experience for the user's back rest inspired by...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Aluminum
Yellow Leather Lounge Chair, Matteo Grassi, Italy, 1980's
Located in Austin, TX
Leather armchair in fantastic shade of yellow. Beautiful condition and extremely comfortable. Mid-Century Modern to Post-Modern styling, by Matteo Grassi, Italy, 1980's.
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Leather
Post-Modern Luxury Jaimé Tresserra Casablanca Office Armchair, 1987, Spain
Located in Antwerp, BE
Jaime´ Tresserra Casablanca armchair; Office chair; Tresserra collection; Cognac leather seating; Spanish furniture design; Walnut;
Postmodern Luxury Manager's desk chair 'Casabl...
Category
1980s Spanish Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Leather, Walnut
Goma Armchair, Red by Made By Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Goma armchair, red by Made By Choice
Dimensions: 55 x 55 x 85 cm
Materials: Plywood
Standard finishes: Natural wood / painted black
Also available: Upholstery in fabric or leat...
Category
2010s Finnish Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Birch, Plywood
Set of 4, Goma Armchairs, Red by Made By Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 4, Goma armchairs, red by Made By Choice
Dimensions: 55 x 55 x 85 cm
Materials: Plywood
Standard finishes: Natural Wood / Painted Black
Also Available: Upholstery in Fab...
Category
2010s Finnish Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Birch, Plywood
2 Mid Century Steelcase Swivel Arm Chairs after Pollock for Knoll
Located in New York, NY
2 swivel armchairs by Steelcase design after Charles Pollock, for Knoll. Each has yellow tweed fabric upholstery, with black plastic arms, dark gray plastic shell back, on chrome ped...
Category
1970s American Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Chrome
Joe Glove Armchair
By Poltronova
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Joe Glove armchair (1970).
De Pas, D'Urbino & Lomazzi (Italy) / Poltronova.
(Dedicated to Joe DiMaggio) / steel frame, preformed polyurethane foam padding.
Leather upholstery, hi...
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel
Matching Pair of Mid-Century Post Modern Black Rattan Armchairs
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A sculptural pair of armchairs circa 1980's. These feature black rattan frames with light grey tweed cushions.
Category
1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Fabric, Rattan
Leather Armchair by Ugo La Pietra, 1985
Located in Vienna, AT
Rare leather armchair from the Flessuosa series by Ugo La Pietra for Busnelli, Italy, 1985. Comfortable smooth leather seater with a blueish grey leather inset from one of the former...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Leather
David Kawecki Puzzle Chair, 40 Available
Located in Los Angeles, CA
"Puzzle #1" armchairs, side chairs or lounge chairs by David Kawecki in San Francisco in 1991. Stained precision-cut plywood in walnut, red, ebony, and natural finish. You can mix a...
Category
1990s American Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Plywood
Mario Botta Rare 1982 Chrome Seconda Chairs Italy Alias
By Mario Botta, Alias
Located in San Diego, CA
Mario Botta Seconda Metal - Chrome armchairs Memphis for Alias Italy, 1982 edition with chrome and black leather is a rare version of the Iconic Seconda Mario Botta char. The Seconda...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel, Chrome
Blue Velvet And Wooden Feet Design Armchair
Located in Tourcoing, FR
Comfy and elegant armchair dressed in trendy dark blue velvet and walnut legs
Category
20th Century French Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Velvet, Walnut
Set of 2, Burgundy Ernest Armchairs by Made By Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2, Burgundy Ernest armchairs by Made By Choice
(Ernest Collection)
Dimensions: 50 x 45 x 82 cm
Materials: Solid oak
Finishes: Natural oak / painted black
Also available...
Category
2010s Finnish Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Oak
Stool Made in 296 Minutes by Minute Manufacturing
Located in Geneve, CH
Stool Made in 296 Minutes by Minute Manufacturing
Dimensions: W 42 x D 42 x H 46 cm
Materials: Waste materials
Such as cardboard tubes, plastic boxes, leather, clay
Minute Man...
Category
2010s Dutch Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Plastic, Leather, Clay
Oak and Sipo Solid Wood Handcrafted Contemporary Design Armchair
Located in Paris, FR
Created by French graphic artist and designer Daniel Guillotin, the "Chêne et Sipo" Altesachair is the career artist and creative director's variable design to his dark wood and plex...
Category
2010s French Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Wood, Oak
Four Ettore Sottsass Mandarin Chairs for Knoll in Red & Black
By Ettore Sottsass, Knoll
Located in Grand Cayman, KY
A set of four Ettore Sottsass Mandarin chairs for Knoll. Black upholstery. Arms to be professionally lacquered in orange/red according to client color specification. Lacquering inclu...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel
Armchair Lounge chair in Metal and Rope Indoor/Outdoor use "ELO" by Filipe Ramos
By Filipe Ramos
Located in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo
The ELO chair is designed to provide a different experience for the user's back rest inspired by the shape of stretching and gymnastics equipment.
The shape of the seat provides sto...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Aluminum
ELO Armchair Lounge chair Outdoor / Indoor Use with Wood Armrest by Filipe Ramos
By Filipe Ramos
Located in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo
The ELO chair is designed to provide a different experience for the user's backrest inspired by the shape of stretching and gymnastics equipment.
The shape of the seat provides stor...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Aluminum
Ettore Sottsass for Knoll Mandarin Armchairs, Tan Corduroy
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Ettore Sottsass for Knoll Mandarin Armchairs reimagined in tan corduroy. The chairs feature curvaceous tubular steel arms finished in gloss black and matte-black straight-tub...
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Metal, Steel
Set of 4 Nuage Armchairs by Pendhapa
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 4 Nuage armchairs by PENDHAPA
Dimensions: D100 x W95 x H70 cm each
Materials: Solid black javanese teak, Fabric
Weight: 50 kg each
Can be made with a base in Solid Oak / POA....
Category
2010s Singaporean Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Fabric, Teak
Pair of Two Lounge Chairs by Ezio Longhi 1950s, New Upholstery
By Ezio Longhi
Located in Brussels, BE
Pair of two lounge chairs with a new upholstery. The structure is original from 1950s. Pure and organic general line.
Ezio Longhi (born in 1928) was an Italian designer from the 1...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Upholstery, Wood
Postmodern Solid Teak and Leather Armchair by Ekorness
By J.E. Ekornes
Located in San Diego, CA
Striking postmodern solid teak and tan leather armchair by Ekorness, circa 1980s. The chair is in very good vintage condition and is very comfortable to sit in. I have a second ident...
Category
20th Century Danish Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Leather, Teak
Baisity Lounge Chair by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oversized armchair wrapped in black leather over sturdy steel frame with two upholstered loose cushions.
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Leather, Upholstery
Minimalist Outdoor Chair in Stainless Steel "Yuu" by Samuel Lamas
By Samuel Lamas
Located in Brasilia, DF
This timeless outdoor seating in stainless steel and colored nautical ropes is designed with in architectonic and geometric reasoning. Framed in a square mesh, the shape and continui...
Category
2010s Brazilian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Stainless Steel
Agora Petit Chair, Pepe Albargues
Located in Geneve, CH
Agora petit chair by Pepe Albargues
Dimensions: 75 x 70 x 65 cm
Available in different colors
Inspired by the volumes of the upholstered furniture from the 1970s, Agora Petit i...
Category
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Upholstery
Set of 2 Nuage Armchairs by Pendhapa
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Nuage Armchairs by Pendhapa
Dimensions: D100 x W95 x H70 cm
Materials: solid black javanese teak, fabric
Weight: 50 kg
Can be made with a base in Solid Oak / POA.
With its...
Category
2010s Singaporean Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Fabric, Teak
9 Steelcase Office Desk Arm Chairs after Pollock for Knoll
Located in New York, NY
Nice lot of nine Steelcase armchairs, having a continuous test and back of orange tweed upholstery, dark gray plastic shell exterior, on bright chrome pedestal and four star base. Th...
Category
1970s American Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Chrome
Fig Armchair with Side Table by Masaya
By Masaya
Located in Geneve, CH
Fig Armchair with side table by Masaya
Dimensions: W72 x D80 x H74 cm
Materials: Brass, Teak, Wood
Also Available: Different colors (Gold, Polished Brass. Black, Painted Brass) ...
Category
2010s Thai Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Brass
Prototype Memphis Milano Style Metal Armchair, 1980s, Italy
Located in Debrecen-Pallag, HU
Rare collectors item prototype armchair. Designed by unknown artist in Italy 1980s. This has a black painted metal frame and painted goatskin padded seat.
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Metal
Pink Mineral Armchair by Kasadamo
By Kasadamo
Located in Geneve, CH
Pink Mineral armchair by Kasadamo
Dimensions: D 87 x W 115 x H 55 cm
Materials: soft suede fabric
Also Available: Customized colors available.
Kasadamo is about uniqueness, v...
Category
2010s Swiss Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Suede
Post-Modern Swivel Club Chair by Gina Berschneider, circa 1980s, Signed
By Gina Berschneider
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This attractive club / lounge chair by Gina Berschneider with 1980s Post Modern fabric would be perfect for any room attempting to replicate the 'Golden Girls' style. A mesmerizing f...
Category
1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Fabric
Six Black Leather and Wood Armchairs by Bulo
By Bulo
Located in Schagen, NL
Six black leather armchairs manufactured by Bulo Belgium circa 1980s. The chairs feature a wooden base with Leather upholstery. They remain in a good and sturdy condition with some w...
Category
1980s Belgian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Leather, Wood
Adriano & Paolo Suman White Armchair
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Adriano & Paolo Suman for Giorgetti Spa, armchair, white lacquered beech and leather, Italy, 1984
Geometric Postmodern armchair designed by Adriano & Paolo Suman and manufactured ...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Leather, Beech
Hat Trick Chairs by Frank Gehry for Knoll, Buy One, a Pair, or All Three, Signed
By Knoll, Frank Gehry
Located in Kansas City, MO
Three Hat Trick chairs designed by Frank Gehry and manufactured by Knoll. Each is signed with the branded Frank Gehry and Knoll signature on the underside. Price is for each so pleas...
Category
1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Maple
Burgundy Ernest Armchair by Made By Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Burgundy ernest armchair by Made By Choice
(Ernest Collection)
Dimensions: 50 x 45 x 82 cm
Materials: Solid oak
Finishes: Natural oak / painted black
Also available: Ernest ar...
Category
2010s Finnish Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Oak
Pair of Steel Italian Memphis Architectural Chairs Attributed to Mario Botta
By Mario Botta
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of steel Italian Memphis architectural chairs attributed to Mario Botta. Extreme design with special attention to detail and craftsmanship. Leather seats and Backs. No labels on...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel
Pair of Large Italian Bamboo and Rattan Armchairs
Located in Milano, IT
Beautiful pair of Italian bamboo armchairs from the 1980s. The armchairs are made from bamboo and rattan reeds. Their enveloping but also angular shape seems to resemble a diamond be...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Fabric, Bamboo, Rattan
Minimalist Outdoor Chair in Stainless Steel "Haruka" by Samuel Lamas
By Samuel Lamas
Located in Brasilia, DF
This timeless outdoor seating in stainless steel is designed with in architectonic and geometric reasoning. Framed in a square mesh, the shape and continuity of structural line sugge...
Category
2010s Brazilian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Stainless Steel
Pr Post Modern Arm Lounge Chairs Retailed by Conrans Habitat NYC
By Arrben
Located in New York, NY
Stylish pair of post modern design chairs, made in Italy, retailed by Conrans Habitat NYC in the 1990's. Very fine, original clean and ready to use condition. Textured rubber upholst...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Metal
Set of Six Braided Rope and Metal Outdoor Armchairs
Located in Tourcoing, FR
Set of six design outdoor armchairs with aluminum structure and rope weave. Robustness and lightness, high quality resistant and soft touch, so poetic, so aerial and design.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Aluminum
Quetzal Armchair, Yellow by Marc Venot
By Missana
Located in Geneve, CH
Quetzal armchair - yellow by Marc Venot
Dimensions: W100, D100, H90, Seat 42
Materials: Iron structure
Foam CMHR (high resilience and flame retardant) for all our cushion filling ...
Category
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Iron
Italian Design Classic Pollock Penelope Chairs, by Castelli
Located in Renens, CH
Dining or office chairs designed by Charles Pollock, executed by Castelli in the 1980s.
Chromed steel non-rigid frame, wire mess seating material. These chairs provide an excellent ...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel
Vintage Postmodern Lounge Chair, Memphis Design, 1980s
Located in Zagreb, HR
Memphis style lounge chair from the 1980s.
Label: Thalia & Co.
The chair features a tubular metal frame, padded seat, and backrest upholstered in green and pale yellow fabric
...
Category
1980s European Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Metal
Postmodern Armchairs with Vibrant Yellow Frame
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Set of four armchairs, lacquered wood, leatherette, Europe, 1980s.
This exuberant set of four chairs are inspired by the Memphis group, an international collective of designers an...
Category
1980s European Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Faux Leather, Wood
Leather Armchair, Eli Gutiérrez
Located in Geneve, CH
Leather armchair by Eli Gutiérrez
A cozy and embracing armchair, an incredible piece that converges in a perfect balance of volumes due to its unique structure and its rounded padde...
Category
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Iron
Maarten Baas Black Leather and Charred Wood Smoke Armchair by Moooi
By Maarten Baas
Located in Glasgow, GB
The 'Smoke' armchair, designed by Maarten Baas for Moooi to a French Rococo design.
The chair is made from burnt solid wood coated with epoxy resin and upholstered in black leather.
Category
2010s Dutch Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Leather, Epoxy Resin
Leather Armchair, Eli Gutiérrez
Located in Geneve, CH
Leather armchair by Eli Gutiérrez
A cozy and embracing armchair, an incredible piece that converges in a perfect balance of volumes due to its unique structure and its rounded padde...
Category
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Iron
21st Century Post-Modernist Upholstered U Chair and Stool Set by Studio SORS
By Studio SORS
Located in Paris, FR
The U-chair is part of the U series by Studio SORS. celebrating organic postmodernism, with its wide facets and rounded forms. Each piece is hand constructed with a waxed patina fini...
Category
2010s French Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Bronze, Steel
Set of 3 Mid Century Post Modern Black Metal Frame Bar Stools by Cal Style
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A beautifully designed Post-Modern set of three bar stools produced by Cal-Style in the early 1990's. These feature black powder coat frames with white seat cushions. Fabric is soile...
Category
1990s American Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Metal
Black Oak and Leather Arco Dining Chairs
Located in Antwerp, BE
Postmodern chair by Arco, The Netherlands, ebonized oak and saddle leather chairs, 1980s
unusual armchair designed by a Dutch architect.
Sculptural and elegant appearance mixed wit...
Category
Late 20th Century European Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Leather, Oak
'Big' by Guido Faleschini for Mariani Executive Leather Desk Chair 1980s, Signed
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Named 'Big', this elegant Guido Faleschini swivel executive chair was featured in the 1980s movie Wall Street in Michael Douglas's executive office, and was designed for i4Mariani an...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel
Mario Marenco for Poltrona Frau 'Movie' Dining Chairs
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Marenco for Poltrona Frau, armchairs model 'Movie', metal and leather, Italy, 1984.
Set of six of Italian armchairs in a bright color combination. The seat are padded and upho...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel
Nuvola Armchair by SEM
Located in Geneve, CH
Nuvola armchair by SEM
Dimensions: D 96 x W 75 x H 63 cm
Material: structure in lacquered iron, brass details, shell in santos rosewood, padding in feather with upholstery in leath...
Category
2010s Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
Materials
Brass, Iron
