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.
$9,231 / item
Cold Bent Bench by Nick Pourfard
Located in Geneve, CH
Cold bent bench by Nick Pourfard. Dimensions: D 56 x W 213.5 x H 43 cm. Materials: wood. Different finishes available. Wood is bent without steam ...
Wood
$7,308 / set
Set of 3 Fragments Stools by Geke Lensink
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 3 Fragments stools by Geke Lensink Dimensions: D43 x H61 cm Materials: earthenware, handpainted graphics After graduating from ArtEZ University of the Arts, Geke Lensin...
Earthenware, Paint
Plopp Mini Stool in Polished Copper 'Limited Edition' by Zieta
By Zieta
Located in Geneve, CH
Plopp Mini Stool in Polished Copper 'Limited Edition' by Zieta Dimensions: D 25 x H 38 cm Material: Polished copper. About "Plopp" stool by Zieta, g...
Copper
Val Kropiwnicki "Woogie" Stool
Located in Highland, IN
Equal parts sculpture and functional object, this stool by Branford, CT artist Val Kropiwnicki shows his use of positive and negative space in a compelling way to create a three-legg...
Steel
$4,231 / item
Spira Rosso Levanto Stool by Etamorph
Located in Geneve, CH
Spira Rosso Levanto Stool by Etamorph Dimensions: Ø 30 x H 46 cm. Materials: Rosso Levanto. Masterfully crafted from a monolithic block of marble and manually honed. ETAMORPH is a ...
Stone
Banco Guarujá – Natural Wood Stool or Side Table by Aurelio Martinez Flores
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
Designed by Mexican architect Aurelio Martinez Flores, the Banco Guarujá (1972) distills the essence of his work: minimalist lines, carefully studied proportions, and a formal clarit...
Papercord, Hardwood
Banco Guarujá – White Stool or Side Table by Aurelio Martinez Flores
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
Designed by Mexican architect Aurelio Martinez Flores, the Banco Guarujá (1972) distills the essence of his work: minimalist lines, carefully studied proportions, and a formal clarit...
Papercord, Hardwood
$5,256 / item
Wave Stool & Side Table V by Homa
Located in Geneve, CH
Wave Stool & Side Table V by Homa. Dimensions: W 28 x D 25 x H 50 cm. Materials: Blown Glass, Silver Mirror. Colour: Brown. Formed through an experimental glassblowing process, e...
Blown Glass, Mirror
$5,256 / item
Wave Stool & Side Table IV by Homa
Located in Geneve, CH
Wave Stool & Side Table IV by Homa Dimensions: W 26 x D 30 x H 40 cm. Materials: Blown Glass, Silver Mirror. Colour: Brown. Formed through an experimental glassblowing process, e...
Blown Glass, Mirror
$7,331 / item
Form Entry Table by Goons
Located in Geneve, CH
Form Entry Table by Goons Dimensions: W 35 x D 31 x H 74 cm Materials: Wood. Finish: White wash The Form Entry Table, multifaceted and multifunctional, was born of our studio itself...
Wood
Travertino Silver Contemporary Honed Marble Stool by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Travertino Silver Contemporary Honed Marble Stool by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 35 x H 47 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SAINT LAURENT / PICASSO GREEN / PORT SAINT LAURENT / TRAVERTINO SILVER / ROSSO LEPANTO / BIANCO STATUARIETTO. Custom materials and sizes available upon request. Please contact us. The Angelo M...
Marble
Grey Saint Laurent Contemporary Honed Marble Stool by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Grey Saint Laurent Contemporary Honed Marble Stool by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 35 x H 47 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SAINT LAURENT / PICASSO GREEN / PORT SAINT LAURENT / TRAVERTINO SILVER / ROSSO LEPANTO / BIANCO STATUARIETTO. Custom materials and sizes available upon request. Please contact us. The Angelo M...
Marble
Kyknos Contemporary Honed Marble Stool by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Kyknos Contemporary Honed Marble Stool by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 35 x H 47 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SAINT LAURENT / PICASSO GREEN / PORT SAINT LAURENT / TRAVERTINO SILVER / ROSSO LEPANTO / BIANCO STATUARIETTO. Custom materials and sizes available upon request. Please contact us. The Angelo M stools are inspired by the base of the Angelo M table...
Marble
Unique Ash Stool by Matt Kavanagh
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Ash Stool by Matt Kavanagh. Signed by Matt Kavanagh. One of a Kind. Dimensions: W 30 x D 28 x H 32 cm. Materials: Seasoned Ash, Wax. Unique piece, hand-signed by the artist a...
Hardwood, Ash
KABIKI Rocking Stool in Red Oak with Black Finish by Daniel Couttolenc
Located in Geneve, CH
KABIKI Rocking Stool in Red Oak with Black Finish by Daniel Couttolenc. Dimensions: D 90 x W 45 x H 56 cm. Materials: Red Oak. The KABIKI Rocking Stool by Daniel Couttolenc is a scu...
Oak
TORO Stool in Tzalam with Natural Finish by Daniel Couttolenc
Located in Geneve, CH
TORO Stool in Tzalam with Natural Finish by Daniel Couttolenc. Dimensions: D 50 x W 50 x H 47 cm. Materials: Tzalam wood. The TORO Stool by Daniel Couttolenc blurs the line between ...
Hardwood
TORO Stool in Oak with Black Finish by Daniel Couttolenc
Located in Geneve, CH
TORO Stool in Oak with Black Finish by Daniel Couttolenc. Dimensions: D 50 x W 50 x H 47 cm. Materials: Oak. The TORO Stool by Daniel Couttolenc blurs the line between design and sc...
Oak
ELEMENTOS Water Stool Sandblasted Pine with Black Finish by Daniel Couttolenc
Located in Geneve, CH
ELEMENTOS Water Stool in Sandblasted Pine with Black Finish by Daniel Couttolenc Dimensions: D 42 x W 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Sandblasted Pine. Water flows, adapts, and transforms....
Pine
ELEMENTOS Water Stool Sandblasted Pine with Natural Finish by Daniel Couttolenc
Located in Geneve, CH
ELEMENTOS Water Stool in Sandblasted Pine with Natural Finish by Daniel Couttolenc Dimensions: D 42 x W 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Sandblasted Pine. Water flows, adapts, and transform...
Pine
BLEO Stool III in Red Oak Wood with Cream Wash Tint by Daniel Couttolenc
Located in Geneve, CH
BLEO Stool III in Red Oak Wood with Cream Wash Tint by Daniel Couttolenc Dimensions: D 50 x W 50 x H 42 cm. Materials: Red Oak Wood Also available in black finish and Tzalam wood up...
Hardwood
BLEO Stool II in Red Oak Wood with Cream Wash Tint by Daniel Couttolenc
Located in Geneve, CH
BLEO Stool II in Red Oak Wood with Cream Wash Tint by Daniel Couttolenc Dimensions: D 55 x W 21 x H 42 cm. Materials: Red Oak Wood Also available in black finish and Tzalam wood upo...
Hardwood
$7,855 / item
Arco Wood Stool by Francesco Zonca
Located in Geneve, CH
Arco Wood Stool by Francesco Zonca Numbered series signed Dimensions: D 30 x W 60 x H 45 cm Materials: Wood, patina. An arch that connects thoughts to words. A stool to sit on and t...
Wood
Caballito Blanco Petit Stool in Leather & Fabric by Oscar Maschera
Located in Geneve, CH
Caballito Blanco Petit Stool in Leather & Fabric by Oscar Maschera Dimensions: D 37 x W 40 x H 43 cm. Materials: Leather, steel, epoxy, and fabric. Available in different sizes ...
Steel
Trator Stool With Backrest in Cast Aluminum by Studio Orth
Located in Geneve, CH
Trator Stool With Backrest in Cast Aluminum by Studio Orth Dimensions: D 44 x W 46 x H 52 cm. Materials: Cast aluminum. Available in cast brass and aluminum finishes. Prices may va...
Aluminum
Limited Edition NullZwei Stool in Black Marble by Justus Knut Schomann
Located in Geneve, CH
Limited Edition NullZwei Stool in Black Marble by Justus Knut Schomann Limited Edition of 25 + 2AP. Dimensions: D 44 x W 45 x H 44 cm. Materials: ...
Marble
Jagged Edge Stool in Mirror-Polished Stainless Steel by Julian Mayor
Located in Geneve, CH
Jagged Edge Stool in Mirror-Polished Stainless Steel by Julian Mayor Limited Edition of 20 Pieces. Dimensions: D 45 x W 45 x H 45 cm. Materials: Mirror-polished stainless steel. Ju...
Stainless Steel
Handcrafted Premium Stool in Cast Brass and Violet Upholstery by Joana Teixeira
Located in Geneve, CH
Handcrafted Premium Stool in Cast Brass and Violet Upholstery by Joana Teixeira Dimensions: D 28 x W 30 x H 47 cm. Materials: Cast brass and upholstery. Available in red and violet ...
Brass
Ohus Stool in Ash Wood And Salmon Orange Steel by Heilig Objects
Located in Geneve, CH
Ohus Stool in Ash Wood And Salmon Orange Steel by Heilig Objects Dimensions: D 36 x W 36 x H 45 cm. Materials: Ash wood and steel. Daniel Heilig. A young Hungarian-German designer, ...
Steel
ARC-F4 Stool in Spruce Wood And Red Seating Cushion by Heilig Objects
Located in Geneve, CH
ARC-F4 Stool in Spruce Wood And Melange Fabric by Heilig Objects Dimensions: D 36 x W 36 x H 48 cm. Materials: Spruce wood and fabric. Daniel Heilig. A young Hungarian-German design...
Fabric, Spruce
Wavy Texture Pagoda Stool in Oak Wood and Black Cushion by Heilig Objects
Located in Geneve, CH
Pagode Wahiba Stool in Oak Wood And Melange Wool Fabricbric by Heilig Objects Dimensions: D 36 x W 36 x H 47 cm. Materials: Oak wood and wool fabric. Daniel Heilig. A young Hungaria...
Wool, Oak
$1,410 / item
Plane Tall Stool by Temper Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Plane Tall Stool by Temper Studio Dimensions: D 30 x W 30 x H 65 cm. Materials: Wood. A family of stools in three sizes – bar, standard, and milking – these sculptural stools have m...
Wood
Slate Grey Metal Gustave Stool 45 cm Natural Walnut by HARTO
Located in Geneve, CH
Slate Grey Metal Gustave Stool 45 cm Natural Walnut by HARTO Dimensions: W 35.5 x D 35.5 x H 45 cm. Materials: Solid wood, Painted metal. Weight: 3.8 kg Gustave is a stool with cle...
Metal
Blue Metal Gustave Stool 45 cm Natural Oak by HARTO
Located in Geneve, CH
Blue Metal Gustave Stool 45 cm Natural Oak by HARTO Dimensions: W 35.5 x D 35.5 x H 45 cm. Materials: Solid wood, Painted metal. Weight: 3.8 kg Gustave is a stool with clean and el...
Metal
$2,179 / item
Miss Feet Stool by Munna
Located in Geneve, CH
Miss Feet Stool by Munna Dimensions: D 49 x W 49 x H 47 cm. SH: 47 cm. Materials: Wood, foam, and leather. Finish: Leather, ref. Black, L06 upholstery. Available in all Munna fabric...
Foam, Wood, Leather
$1,958 / item
Mellow 70 Stool by Munna
Located in Geneve, CH
Mellow 70 Stool by Munna Dimensions: D 70 x W 70 x H 50 cm. SH: 50 cm. Materials: Wood, foam, and upholstery. Finish: Cotton Velvet upholstery. Available in all Munna fabrics except...
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
$1,433 / item
Mellow 50 Stool by Munna
Located in Geneve, CH
Mellow 50 Stool by Munna Dimensions: D 50 x W 50 x H 50 cm. SH: 50 cm. Materials: Wood, foam, and upholstery. Finish: Cotton Velvet upholstery. Available in all Munna fabrics except...
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
$1,433 / item
Mellow 50 Stool by Munna
Located in Geneve, CH
Mellow 50 Stool by Munna Dimensions: D 50 x W 50 x H 50 cm. SH: 50 cm. Materials: Wood, foam, and upholstery. Finish: Cotton Velvet, ref. Mustard, CV10 upholstery. Available in all ...
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
$2,296 / item
Belle De Jour Stool by Munna
Located in Geneve, CH
Belle De Jour Stool by Munna Dimensions: D 43 x W 43 x H 50 cm. SH: 50 cm. Materials: Wood, foam, nickel, and upholstery. Finish: Upholstery: Cotton Velvet, ref. Mulberry, CV22. Upho...
Nickel
$1,223 / item
In Between Stool by Munna
Located in Geneve, CH
In Between Stool by Munna Dimensions: D 40 x W 40 x H 50 cm. SH: 50 cm. Materials: Solid wood, foam, brass, and upholstery. Finish: Upholstery: Cotton Velvet, ref. Blue Grey, CV07. U...
Brass
$1,060 / item
Black Offset Stool by Resident
Located in Geneve, CH
Black Offset Stool by Resident Dimensions: D 34 x H 43 cm Materials: Solid Oak. Weight: 7.9 Kg. About: Founded by Simon James & Scott Bridgens in 2011, Resident is the home of end...
Oak
$1,025 / item
Wide Dropseat by Frederik Van Humbeeck
Located in Geneve, CH
Wide Dropseat by Frederik Van Humbeeck Dimensions: W 30 x D 30 x H 55 cm Materials: Wood. Weight: 17,4 kg Variations by woodspecies: Sharred Oak, Oak, Cherry, European walnut, Ameri...
Wood
$2,051 / item
A Stool by Jaclyn Pappalardo
Located in Geneve, CH
A Stool by Jaclyn Pappalardo Dimensions: W 53 x D 41 x H 43 cm Materials: Mild steel powder coated. Jaclyn is a designer and maker based in London. Her background in set design informs her creative work as a designer. Colour and texture play an important role in developing each and every project. With a particular interest in the use of seating, Jaclyn looks at chairs not only as a functional object but rather as a study of body, shape and language. Her work incorporates unconventional design techniques that stretch far from traditional craftsmanship. Exploring new techniques and material driven processes such as metal forming and non-traditional upholstery, she builds on similar profiles and repetitive patterns in the aim of creating something timeless. Jaclyn’s work has been published in Arcipelago, Modern House, Dezeen, Vogue and Luncheon magazine. Represented by The Radford Gallery & Fels World gallery in London UK. Caselli 11-12 Gallery in Milan IT...
Steel
$2,995 / item
MG102 Kitchen Bar Stool by Malte Gormsen
Located in Geneve, CH
MG102 Kitchen Bar Stool by Malte Gormsen Dimensions: D 37 x W 43 x H 65 cm. Materials: Dark Nature oak, blackened metal. Available in Nature, Raw Nature, Light Nature, Grey Nature, ...
Metal
$2,482 / item
Boba Mini Stool by Curvy World Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Boba Mini Stool by Curvy World Studio Handmade Dimensions: D 35 x W 35 x H 45 cm. Materials: Wood, hemp, recycled marble powder, steel mesh, coating. The Boba mini stool belongs to ...
Marble, Steel
$2,063 / item
Blooming Cuts Stool by Ebba Lindgren
Located in Geneve, CH
Blooming Cuts Stool by Ebba Lindgren Dimensions: D 50 x W 60 x H 45 cm. Materials: Recycled textile fiberboard (“really board”). Ebba Lindgren Is an internationally renowned artist...
Other
Ash Contemporary Smoke and Silver Mirror Stool by Homa
Located in Geneve, CH
Ash Contemporary Smoke and Silver Mirror Stool by Homa Dimensions: W 42 x D 42 x H 45 cm Materials: Smoke and Silver Mirror. HOMA is a contemporary design atelier based in Istanbul....
Mirror
$3,426 / item
Cage Lacquered Stool by Tuğçe Geyik
Located in Geneve, CH
Cage Lacquered Stool by Tuğçe Geyik Dimensions: D 43 x W 43 x H 45 cm. SH: 45 cm. Materials: Lacquer. Tuğçe Geyik is an architect and designer based in Istanbul. She studied at Yild...
Lacquer
$3,426 / item
Cage Oak Stool by Tuğçe Geyik
Located in Geneve, CH
Cage Oak Stool by Tuğçe Geyik Dimensions: D 43 x W 43 x H 45 cm. SH: 45 cm. Materials: Oak. Tuğçe Geyik is an architect and designer based in Istanbul. She studied at Yildiz Technic...
Oak
$1,794 / item
Tondo Stool by Marta Ayala Herrera
Located in Geneve, CH
Tondo Stool by Marta Ayala Herrera Dimensions: D 43 x W 43 x H 45 cm. Materials: Cork. Marta Ayala Herrera (Córdoba, Spain) studied Technical Engi...
Cork
$4,615 / item
Twisted Table / Stool by Touch With Eyes
Located in Geneve, CH
Twisted Table / Stool by Touch With Eyes Dimensions: W 40 x D 40 x H 45 cm Materials: Wood, from pine tree, Wax and Oil. Weight: 20 Kg. The chair was made from pine tree that fell...
Wood
$2,307 / item
Burnt Black B Tables / Stools by Touch With Eyes
Located in Geneve, CH
Burnt Black B Tables / Stools by Touch With Eyes Dimensions: W 30 x D 30 x H 45 cm Materials: Wood washed out by the sea. Weight: 20 Kg. The black tables were made of wood washed o...
Wood
$2,004 / item
RUA CHA Footstool by Clementine Caurier
Located in Geneve, CH
RUA CHA Footstool by Clementine Caurier Dimensions: D 60 x W 80 x H 40 cm. Materials: Ash, wool, and linen. RUA CHA footstool is based on a light, crossed structure in solid wood. T...
Wool, Linen, Ash
$1,468 / item
Flow Hi Aureo Stool by GIROTTI ENRICO
Located in Geneve, CH
Flow Hi Aureo Stool by GIROTTI ENRICO Dimensions: W 44 x D 41 x H 82 cm Materials: Steel, Upholstery. Weight: 4 Kg. Enrico Girotti is an industrial designer who has found in the wo...
Steel
$8,590 / item
Disordine Stool by Joana Teixeira
Located in Geneve, CH
Disordine Stool by Joana Teixeira Limited Edition Dimensions: D 40 x W 40 x H 43 cm. Materials: Stainless steel, onyx, and plywood. DISORDINE represents the materialization of our ...
Onyx, Stainless Steel
$419 / item
High Black Acapulco Barstool by OK Design
Located in Geneve, CH
High Black Acapulco Barstool by OK Design Dimensions: D 58 x W 58 x H 76 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal, PVC cord. Available in high and medium. Available in other colors. Pleas...
Metal
$419 / item
Medium Black Acapulco Barstool by OK Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium Black Acapulco Barstool by OK Design Dimensions: D 57 x W 57 x H 66 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal, PVC cord. Available in high and medium. Available in other colors. Ple...
Metal
Yellow Centro Stool With Black Tray by OK Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Yellow Centro Stool With Black Tray by OK Design Dimensions: D 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal, PVC cord. Available in other colors. Please contact us. The Centro stoo...
Metal
Black Centro Stool With Black Tray by OK Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Black Centro Stool With Black Tray by OK Design Dimensions: D 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal, PVC cord. Available in other colors. Please contact us. The Centro stool...
Metal
Sea Green Centro Stool With Black Tray by OK Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Sea Green Centro Stool With Black Tray by OK Design Dimensions: D 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal, PVC cord. Available in other colors. Please contact us. The Centro s...
Metal
$291 / item
Sea Green Centro Stool by OK Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Sea Green Centro Stool by OK Design Dimensions: D 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal, PVC cord. Available in other colors. Please contact us. The Centro stool is a colorf...
Metal