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.
Salvador Dalí Leda Armchair Sculpture in Polished Brass, Spain
By Salvador Dalí, BD Barcelona Design
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Leda armchair designed by Dali manufactured by BD. Structure in polished cast brass varnish. Measures: 47 x 60 x 92 H. cm Year: 1935-1937 Taken from “Femme á la téte rose” 1935 (...
Brass
Funky Red Framed Stacking Chairs with Fritz Hansen Style Plywood Seating
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Spirited postmodern stacking chairs showcase the playful geometry and joyful color that defined the hip era of postmodernism. Each chair features a single-shell molded plywood seat t...
Metal
$479Sale Price / set|33% Off
Set of 2 THONET S320 Stacking Chairs designed by Ulrich Boehme & Wulf Schneider
By Ulrich Bohme, Thonet
Located in Schwerin, MV
Set of 2 Thonet S 320 Armchairs in stained reddish-brown plywood and chrome plated Steel, Germany, 1980s A striking set of four original Thonet S 320 armc...
Chrome
$959Sale Price / set|33% Off
Set of 4 THONET S320 Stacking Chairs designed by Ulrich Boehme & Wulf Schneider
By Thonet, Ulrich Bohme
Located in Schwerin, MV
Set of 4 Thonet S 320 Armchairs in stained reddish-brown plywood and chrome plated Steel, Germany, 1980s A striking set of four original Thonet S 320 armc...
Chrome
Set of 4 Italian Postmodern Space Age Model 101 Spaghetti Chairs, 1970s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Four postmodern Spaghetti chairs from the Italian manufacturer alias according to a draft by Giandomenico Belotti from the late 1970s. A timeless classic of Italian design. The fili...
Metal
1970s Hill Manufacturing Bent Lucite Chair
By Charles Hollis Jones, Hill Manufacturing
Located in New Windsor, NY
The chair is constructed of clear and bright bent Lucite. The seat retains its original tag, Hill Manufacturing Corp, Industrial Terminal, Garnerville, NY. Circa 1970-80. This partic...
Upholstery, Acrylic, Lucite
Post-Modern Lucite & Chrome Folding Chair, Piretti Castelli Style, Italy, 1980s
By Castelli, Giancarlo Piretti
Located in Vienna, AT
A stylish postmodern foldable "ghost" chair with a chrome frame and a clear perspex acrylic plexiglass seat and an adjustable backrest. Italy, 1980s. The chair is of high-quality and...
Steel, Chrome
$2,280 / item
Institution Sculptural Chair, White Lamb Leather
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Uncannily challenging excessive symbolic power granted to scientific institutions, the “Institutional Chair” reveals a tension with the accepted desubjectivisation of the body into s...
Steel, Nickel
Gaetano Pesce limited edition Greene Street chair for Vitra Italy / 1995
By Gaetano Pesce, Vitra
Located in Skokie, IL
Gaetano Pesce limited edition Greene Street chair for Vitra Italy / Switzerland, 1984 / 1994. This example 70 /100 pieces produced. Materials: resin reinforced with fiberglass, stee...
Steel
Pr. Architectural High Back Wrought Iron Chairs att. to Leopold Gest c. 1980's
By Gustave Toffiche and Léopold Gest
Located in New York, NY
Exceptional pair of Post Modern style high back chairs, having dramatic exaggerated tall backs, and asymmetrical upholstered leather pad seats. Finished in black on black, showing ...
Wrought Iron
$499Sale Price / item|50% Off
Post Modern Black Leather UNO chairs with chrome tube frame Archizoom
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Black leather and tubular cantilever chrome "Uno" chair made by Marcatre and designed in 1973 by Paolo Deganella and Gilberto Corretti members of the Italian "Archizoom" group in Flo...
Chrome
Chainmail Sculptural Chair, Nickel Plated Steel Finish, Hand Linked Mesh
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
The Chainmail Chair reinterprets William Katavolos' 1952 T-chair, incorporating a medieval-modern aesthetic that merges ancient craftsmanship with contemporary design. The seat is fo...
Steel
$495 / item
Postmodern Sectional Sofa Bench by Steelcase
By Steelcase
Located in New York, NY
Phenomenal sectional sofa, bench, or single chair set made by Steelcase, circa 2002. The pieces have tubular chrome feet, which support a thick and heavy board, to which a thick upho...
Chrome
Tessa Nature chair by Philippe Starck
Located in PARIS, FR
Philippe Starck Chaise Tessa Nature, Ca. 1987 Édition Driade, Italie Bois de poirier, assise en papier tressé façon paille, logo embossé sur le dossier H. 74 x L. 47 x P. 48 cm H. 29...
Wood, Fruitwood, Plywood
$1,600 / item
Silla Sol
Located in Mérida, MX
“Silla Sol” Silla Sol chair is not just a chair but a Mexican cookie-inspired chair, a happy face object that livens up any space it enters. You can sit on it, you can place your fav...
Wood
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.
Fabric, Rattan
$1,230 / item
Lila Hunter Chairs By Philippe Starck For XO 1980s
Located in Čelinac, BA
Lila Hunter chair by Philippe Starck for XO.
Metal
$1,400 / item
Chrome Frame Lounge Chair After Baughman
Located in New York, NY
Chic and stylish club, lounge chair having bright chrome D shaped continuous arm, leg elements, and upholstered seats and back rests. The chair is in very...
Chrome
Postmod 80s Flex 2000 (32 Avail) Stacking Chairs Gerd Lange Thonet Beech -8 pcs
By Thonet, Gerd Lange
Located in Basel, BS
Excellent set of 8 Flex 2000 Stacking Chairs by Gerd Lange for Thonet, with wooden oak frames and black seats. No longer produced, Rare items. FAST SHIPPING: Fast, international, in...
PVC, Ash, Beech
Signed Pierre Sala Desk or Table
By Pierre Sala
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
A rare Post Modern Memphis Milano style table or desk designed by artist Pierre Sala circa 1980's. Large and functional notebook on solid wo...
Wood, Lacquer
Black "Wendy Wright" Chair by Philippe Starck for Disform
Located in San Diego, CA
Gorgeous "Wendy Wright chair by Philippe Starck for Disform, circa 1980s. The chair stands as an iconic testament to the innovative design ethos of...
Metal
$1,800
Sol Chair
Located in Mérida, MX
“Silla Sol” Silla Sol chair is not just a chair but a Mexican cookie-inspired chair, a happy face object that livens up any space it enters. You can sit on it, you can place your fav...
Wood
Frag Italy 6 Stitched Leather Side Chairs Style of Mario Bellini Post-Modern
By Mario Bellini, Frag
Located in Philadelphia, PA
An Italian set of four six (6) off-white stitched leather side or dining chairs by design company Frag. Made in Italy as marked. 100% leather. Similar in style to the Cassina leather...
Leather
$1,676Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set - 4 Yellow Swedish Postmodern 80s Vintage Nils Gammelgaard Ikea "Ted" Chairs
By Anonima Castelli, Giancarlo Piretti, IKEA
Located in Basel, BS
Great opportunity to have a complete set of 4 of these wonderful 1980s Nils Gaamelgaard for Ikea chairs as a perfect set of 4 in yellow! Sold here as a set. Note: Yellow cushions wi...
Metal
$1,000Sale Price / item|20% Off
Post Modern Stool in Walnut Finish, Cane Back Leather Seat Counter or Bar Height
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
The Aurora collection aka Dawn marks a new exiting moment in our design history, in where we dove deep in to the creativity unknown, to create a collection that would be able to hold...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
$4,195 / item
Puro Chair in Stained Oak by Elina Ulvio
Located in Geneve, CH
Puro Chair in Stained Oak by Elina Ulvio. Dimensions: W 54 x D 51 x H 66 cm. Materials: Stained Oak. Available in various custom stains and finishes upon request. Puro is a sculptu...
Hardwood, Oak
$1,222Sale Price / item|42% Off
1980s Postmodern Mario Botta Latonda Chair for Alias (two available) -- 1 pc
By Alias, Mario Botta
Located in Basel, BS
What a beauty! Stunning RARE Mario Botta accent chair for any space! Very fast shipping, insured 7-21 days. RARE Black leather model, with silver frame. Chair "Latonda" Production: ...
Metal
Postmodern 1980s Flex 2000 Stacking Chairs by Gerd Lange for Thonet, Beech Wood
By Thonet, Gerd Lange
Located in Basel, BS
Excellent Flex 2000 Stacking Chair by Gerd Lange for Thonet, with wooden oak frames and black seats. No longer produced, Rare items. NOTE: We have up to 32 chairs available!! Let us know if you need more-- we can arrange. This listing is for one chair, and you can purchase up to 32! Please let us know how many chairs you would like to purchase, and we can combine shipping for you. Designed by Gerd Lange in 1983, manufactured in Western-Germany. The legs are made of solid ashwood, the frame is made of ashwood bentwood and veneered beech struts. The seat and back consists of original black painted PVC material. Incredible space savers-- stackable! Dimensions 18.3ʺW × 16ʺD × 31.1ʺH International Shipping details...
PVC, Ash, Beech
$1,000Sale Price / item|20% Off
Post-Modern Style Aurora Chair in Black Ebonized with Cane Back and Leather
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
The Aurora collection aka Dawn marks a new exiting moment in our design history, in where we dove deep in to the creativity unknown, to create a collection that would be able to hold...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
Post-Modern Aldo Rossi & Luca Meda “Teatro” Side Chair, Molteni, Italy 1985
Located in Dronten, NL
An outstanding example of late-20th-century Italian design, this Teatro side chair—created by acclaimed architect Aldo Rossi in collaboration with designer Luca Meda—embodies the ref...
Wool, Cherry
$780 / item
Chair D
Located in Mérida, MX
The handwoven technique of the 'Petatillo' in Yucatan has been practiced for more than 50 years. Usually, it is woven with natural cane. This is one hundred percent artisan work, whi...
Nylon, Wood
$4,760Sale Price / set|20% Off
Large Set of 17 Postmodern 1980s Vintage Nils Gammelgaard for Ikea Colorful "Ted
By IKEA, Giancarlo Piretti, Anonima Castelli
Located in Basel, BS
Very rare opportunity to have 17 of these wonderful 1980s Nils Gaamelgaard for Ikea chairs as a large set, in RARE colors all together! Sold here as a set. Cushions will be provided...
Metal
Modernist accent chair in black cowhide and ebonized oak, late 20th century
Located in View Park, CA
A modernist accent chair by Paul Marra in ebonized oak and laser-cut black cow hide, probably circa late 20th century or early 21st. The oak frame is re...
Fabric, Wood
Enzo Mari NOS The Box chair in blue for Aleph Atlantide Driade 1995
$1,000Sale Price / item|20% Off
Post Modern Stool in Solid Wood, Caning Back and Seat, Counter or Bar Height
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
The Aurora collection aka Dawn marks a new exiting moment in our design history, in where we dove deep in to the creativity unknown, to create a collection that would be able to hold...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
Upholstered in Soft Fabric Lenta Lounger Armchair by Madheke
Located in Geneve, CH
Upholstered in Soft Fabric Lenta Lounger Armchair by Madheke Dimensions: D 163 x W 78 x H 100 cm. Materials: Loose fabric-upholstered cushion with leather ties, Leather-clad undersid...
Leather, Upholstery
$671 / set
Pair of Italian Postmodern Chairs 1990s
Located in Debrecen, HU
This striking pair of Italian postmodern chairs celebrates the bold geometry and expressive color language of 1990s design. The distinctive round backrests and clean, architectural s...
Cherry, Fabric
Enzo Mari NOS The Box chair in orange for Aleph Atlantide Driade 1995
Philippe Starck Pair Of Miss Dorn Model Armchairs for Disform, c. 1982
Located in Brussels, BE
Pair of Philippe Starck Miss Dorn model armchairs for Disform 1982. Black metal structure, original black fabric round seat. Dimensions: 70 cm H, 54 c...
Metal
Set of 4 Impeccable Handkerchief Chairs by Lella & Massimo Vignelli for Knoll
By Knoll, Massimo and Lella Vignelli
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of 4 stacking 'Handkerchief' chairs designed by Massimo and Lella Vignelli for Knoll International. This set was produced in 1991 and retains its original tags. Massimo and Lella Vignelli both studied architecture before founding the Vignelli Office of Design and Architecture in 1960. In 1971 they established Vignelli Associates, a vehicle for focusing on projects that incorporated their industrial, furniture and graphic design talents. Their diverse portfolio includes corporate identity work for IBM, American Airlines, and Bloomingdales as well as signage for the New York Subway system and Washington, D.C. Additionally, Vignelli Associates contributed two furniture designs to the Knoll portfolio: the Handkerchief chair (designed together with David Law) and the Paperclip table...
Chrome
$796Sale Price / item|20% Off
Modern Style Aurora Chair Sculpted in Walnut Finish No Arms, Upholstered Seat
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
The Aurora collection aka Dawn marks a new exiting moment in our design history, in where we dove deep in to the creativity unknown, to create a collection that would be able to hold...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
$2,144Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary Ava Armchair in Wood by Guto Indio da Costa, Brazil
Located in Deerfield Beach, FL
Contemporary Wood Ava Armchair by Guto Indio da Costa, Brazil The AVA armchair is part of the collection Machina & Manus by the Brazilian designer...
Wood
$2,456Sale Price|20% Off
Marcel Breuer b34 Chair 1930s
Located in Čelinac, BA
Marcel Breuer B34 chair was made in Czechoslovakia in 1930 for Bata Snofmaner store.
Formica
$980Sale Price / set|45% Off
Pair of Post-Modern Lucite Barstools by Hill Mfg, circa 1980
By Charles Hollis Jones, Hill Manufacturing
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This classic pair of Post-Modern lucite barstools are by Hill Manufacturing and in the style of Charles Hollis Jones and Lion in Frost. Featuring a steel base with foot wrest, and lucite frame with black vinyl seat cushion. *Note, we had a set of 6 but 4 have now sold, so we have 2 barstools left. Priced as a pair, contact us if you wish to purchase a single. This pair of Hill Mfg lucite...
Steel
"Louis 20" Chairs by Philippe Starck for Vitra, Green / 1994
By Philippe Starck, Vitra
Located in Boven Leeuwen, NL
Offered here is a rare, project-ready set of twenty-one Louis 20 chairs, designed by Philippe Starck for Vitra—an ideal balance of iconic authorship and real-world contract practical...
Aluminum
$1,000Sale Price / item|20% Off
Modern Style Aurora Chair Sculpted in Walnut Finish Arms, leather seating, cane
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
The Aurora collection aka Dawn marks a new exiting moment in our design history, in where we dove deep in to the creativity unknown, to create a collection that would be able to hold...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
$1,000Sale Price / item|20% Off
Post-Modern Style Aurora Chair in Sculpted Walnut Finish with Cane and Leather
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
The Aurora collection aka Dawn marks a new exiting moment in our design history, in where we dove deep in to the creativity unknown, to create a collection that would be able to hold...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
Giandomenico Belotti - Alias Set of 4 Red Fly Line Spaghetti Dining Side Chairs
By Alias, Giandomenico Belotti
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Designed by Giandomenico Belotti (1922-2004), these Spaghetti chairs are quite comfortable with their PVC spaghetti straps on steel bases. A most successful design by Belotti, they a...
Steel
1980s Sculptural Ebonized Brown Beiges Zebra Wood Chairs, Set of 2
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
On offer on this occasion is one of the most stunning, sculptural zebra chairs you could hope to find. This is an ultra-rare opportunity to acquire what is, unequivocally, the best o...
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
$142,000 / set
Paul Evans for Directional Sculpted Bronze Dining Chairs
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Paul Evans for Directional, dining chairs, model PE-106, epoxy bronzed resin over steel, fabric, United States, circa 1970 These dining chairs are designed by Paul Evans for Directi...
Bronze, Steel
$3,836 / item
"Apple Honey" chair by Shiro Kuramata for Pastoe
By Pastoe, Shiro Kuramata
Located in Paris, FR
Grey lacquered steel frame, chromed tubular metal armrests, seat upholstered in black faux leather, underside of the seat covered with beige fabric. Model designed in 1985. Kuramata...
Metal
$1,000Sale Price / item|20% Off
Post-Modern Style Aurora Chair in Sculpted Black Ebonized Solid Wood
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
The Aurora collection aka Dawn marks a new exiting moment in our design history, in where we dove deep in to the creativity unknown, to create a collection that would be able to hold...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
German Postmodern Office Swivel Chair from Impac, 1992
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern office chair by the german manufacturer impac from the early 90s. a design that is strongly shaped by a postmodern design language and color world. Seat and backrest are ...
Wood
Postmodern Sculptural Steel Brown Leather French Pair of Chairs, 1980s, France
By Maria Pergay
Located in New York, NY
Sculptural steel brown leather French pair chairs, 1980s, France These are very rare leather and steel chairs form France. From the Maria Pergay, Michel Boyer Era. The leather is in...
Steel
Chainmail Sculptural Chair, Nickel Plated Steel Finish, Hand Linked Mesh
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Chainmail chair is a new take on William Katavolos 1952’s T-chair. Its seat is made up of hand-linked metal rings coming together to form a strong and flexible mesh that drapes down ...
Steel
Post Modern Zeta Dining Chairs by Martin Haksteen for Harvink, The Netherlands
By Harvink
Located in Almelo, NL
Post Modern Zeta Dining chairs by Martin Haksteen for Harvink, The Netherlands 1980s Tripod post-modern design dining chairs, model 'Zeta' designed ...
Steel
Frank Gehry Power Play Chair and Ottoman for Knoll, Signed, Great Condition
By Knoll, Frank Gehry
Located in Kansas City, MO
Power play chair and ottoman designed by Frank Gehry for Knoll in very close to new condition. There are no chips, cracks or repairs to the wood slats...
Maple
1980s Knoll Jorge Pensi Amat Toledo Chair Spain Postmodern
By Jorge Pensi, Amat-3
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, a Toledo chair stackable designed by Jorge Pensi for Amat 3 Spain for Knoll Organic and streamlined shape lightweight cast aluminum. Unmarked. Dye cast alum...
Aluminum
Pair of Chairs by Cosimo De Vita, Inspired by the Duomo in Florence
By Cosimo de Vita
Located in Bruton, GB
Exceptional pair of architectural chairs designed by Cosimo De Vita, 2023. Each chair is conceived as a sculptural interpretation of the iconic dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Flore...
Hardwood
$1,000Sale Price / item|20% Off
Post-Modern Style Aurora Chair in Walnut Finish with Wooden Back and Textile
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
The Aurora collection aka Dawn marks a new exiting moment in our design history, in where we dove deep in to the creativity unknown, to create a collection that would be able to hold...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut