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.
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
$3,608 / item
Strict Small Stool by Veermakers
Located in Geneve, CH
Strict Small Stool by Veermakers Dimensions: L 42 x H 45-62 cm. Materials: Walnut Classic with a satin clear coat / Leather Shoulder Black. About: After years of successful collabo...
Walnut
Limited Edition Curule Seat Stool in Stainless Steel by sashaxsasha
Located in Geneve, CH
Limited Edition Curule Seat Stool in Stainless Steel by sashaxsasha Limited Edition of 8 + 2 A.P Dimensions: D 42 x W 74x H 51 cm. Materials: Stainless steel. sashaxsasha is a des...
Stainless Steel
$3,133 / item
Solid Wood Japanese Coffee Table by Taller Batán
Located in Geneve, CH
Solid Wood Japanese Coffee Table by Taller Batán Dimensions: W 180 x D 40 x H 20 cm Materials: solid wood. Finishes: blackened pine. Weight: 12 kg. Japanese Coffee Table Having li...
Wood
$1,400 / item
Timber Stool Indigo Blue by Onno Adriaanse
Located in Geneve, CH
Timber stool indigo blue by Onno Adriaanse Signed and numbered Dimensions: D40x W29 x H45 cm. Materials: stained pine wood, clear satin coating Also a...
Pine, Coating
$4,700 / item
Stool 02 2 Legs Mini Stool by Tellurico
Located in Geneve, CH
Stool 02 2 Legs Mini Stool by Tellurico Signed And Numbered. Dimensions: D 25 x W 50 x H 40 cm. Materials: Handcarved solid wood with beeswax finish. The piece is fully customizabl...
Wood
Medium Pausa Oak Stool by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium Pausa oak stool by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte Dimensions: D 27 x W 35 x H 65 cm Materials: oak wood Available in burnt oak version and in 3 sizes. Pausa is a series of s...
Oak
Post Modern Lucite Vanity Stool Bench with Faux Leather Snakeskin Upholstery
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Two benches available. Sold individually. These are a first for us and the style, quality and condition continue to amaze us every time we walk by. These stylish, post-modern vintage 1970s Lucite acrylic vanity...
Lucite, Faux Leather, Acrylic
$2,979 / item
Brass Trator Stool by Studio Orth
Located in Geneve, CH
Brass Trator Stool by Studio Orth Dimensions: W 46 x D 44 x H 52 cm Materials: Cast metal. Finishes: Polished Cast Brass or Polished Cast Aluminum. About: Studio Orth is a multidis...
Metal
$925 / item
Flame Red Double U Stool by Kazuko Okamoto
Located in Geneve, CH
Flame Red Double U Stool by Kazuko Okamoto Dimensions: D 43 x W 43 x H 58 cm. Materials: Polyethylene. Weight: 7 kg. Available in different color options. This product is suitable ...
Other
$2,445 / item
Olympia Bar Stool by Munna
Located in Geneve, CH
Olympia Bar Stool by Munna Dimensions: D 55 x W 58 x H 100 cm. SH: 80 cm. Materials: Solid wood, foam, brass, and upholstery. Finish: Upholstery: Cotton Velvet, ref. Emerald, CV09. R...
Brass
Anodized Burgundy and Cane Wicker Bench by Tino Seubert
Located in Geneve, CH
Anodised Burgundy and cane wicker bench by Tino Seubert Dimensions: L 145 x W 40 x H 45 cm. Materials: Color anodized aluminum extrusions, cane weave. Tino Seubert When he firs...
Aluminum
$4,308 / 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
$7,311 / item
Classic Travertine Unfilled Chunky Stool by Etamorph
Located in Geneve, CH
Classic Travertine Unfilled Chunky Stool by Etamorph Dimensions: Ø 36 x H 46 cm. Materials: Classic Travertine Unfilled. Chunky stands as a sculptural masterpiece. The variation of ...
Stone, Travertine
Set of 2, Airisto Side Tables/ Stools, Stained Black by Made by Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2, airisto side tables/ stools, stained black by Made By Choice with Joanna Laajisto Dimensions: D35 x H45 cm Materials: solid ash. Finishes: natural ash / painted black ...
Wood, Ash
Organic Postmodern Sculptural Brown Velvet Stool Ritmo
By Moanne
Located in Almería, ES
Playful. Perceptive. Percussive. Ritmo Stool. The Ritmo Stool takes its name from rhythm—not just as a beat, but as a way of being. With four bold cylindrical legs echoing in perfec...
Velvet
Large White Tupp Barstool by Storängen Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Large White Tupp barstool by Storängen Design Dimensions: D 45 x W 45 x H 102 x SH 82 cm Materials: birch wood, nickel plated steel. Also available in other colors. Give the ba...
Steel
$3,394 / item
Layered Steel Stool by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Layered steel stool by Hyungshin Hwang Dimensions: D 30 x W 30 x H 45 cm Materials: stainless steel Layered Series is the main theme and conce...
Stainless Steel
$1,804 / item
Natú Stool by Frau Caze
Located in Geneve, CH
Natú Stool by Frau Caze Dimensions: D 35 x W 54 x H 36.5 cm. Materials: Oiled walnut, natural leather. Although Berlin has been her home for many years, Carolin – the designer behi...
Leather, Walnut
$6,528 / item
Stool 00 3 Legs Stool by Tellurico
Located in Geneve, CH
Stool 00 3 Legs Stool by Tellurico Signed And Numbered. Dimensions: D 45 x W 50 x H 53 cm. SH: 53 cm. Materials: Handcarved solid wood with beeswax finish. The piece is fully custom...
Wood
$2,445 / item
Oak and Walnut Anh Barstool by ONON DETAILS
Located in Geneve, CH
Oak and Walnut Anh Barstool by ONON DETAILS Dimensions: W 41 x D 49 x H 72 cm. Materials: Walnut, Oak. ONON Details furnitures are chosen by famous design brand, domestic and inte...
Oak, Walnut
$10,967 / item
Olla Stool I by Brera Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Olla Stool I by Brera Studio One of a kind. Dimensions: D 75 x W 75 x H 45 cm. Materials: pinewood, paint, linen. Made from endemic pine wood in the region of Chihuahua, and ha...
Linen, Wood, Pine, Paint
$4,178 / item
Layered Oak Wood Stool by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Layered oak wood stool by Hyungshin Hwang Dimensions: D 33 x W 30 x H 42 cm Materials: weathered oak Layered Series is the main theme and concept o...
Oak
$1,744 / item
Knot Solid Red Oak Stool by Luis Gimeno
Located in Geneve, CH
Knot Solid Red Oak Stool by Luis Gimeno Dimensions: D 33 x W 33 x H 45 cm Materials: Red oak. Available in Natural, Dark Brown, and Black colors. Please contact us. The Knot Stool ...
Oak
$5,329 / item
Barth Laqué Stool by Le Berre Vevaud
Located in Geneve, CH
Barth Laqué Stool by Le Berre Vevaud Dimensions: D 37 x H 45 cm. Materials: Solid Wood, Variety of Linden, Gloss lacquer in Aubergine ALV-L0039. For over 15 years, Raphaël Le Berre...
Wood
$1,958 / item
Sass Natural Stool by Riccardo Monte
Located in Geneve, CH
Sass Natural Stool by Riccardo Monte Dimensions: D 33 x W 35 x H 39 cm. Materials: Oak. Riccardo Monte is a creative studio based in the Italian Alps. With the vision of creating a ...
Oak
Sitiera Stool in Solid Wood, Olivo Thick Leather & Aged Bronze by Estudio Andean
Located in Geneve, CH
Sitiera Stool in Solid Wood, Olivo Thick Leather & Aged Bronze by Estudio Andean Dimensions: D 34 x W 34 x H 50 cm. SH: 50 cm. Materials: Bronze, leather, and solid wood. Stool craf...
Bronze
U-shaped Form Rubber Seat and Burned Steel Large Stool 2.0 by Arno Declercq
Located in Geneve, CH
Large AD Stool 2.0 by Arno Declercq Materials: Burned steel and Rubber seat Measures: W 152 x D 38 x H 69 cm Arno Declercq Belgian designer and art dealer who makes bespoke objects...
Steel
$866 / item
Radical Design White Bouclé Stool Furia
By Moanne
Located in Almería, ES
There’s a fire that doesn’t need to roar to be felt—an inner intensity that simmers beneath the surface. The Furia Stool captures that quiet force. With its soft, rounded body and as...
Bouclé
Vintage Modern Chrome Curved Back Tufted Bar Stools In Grey Italian Leather
Located in Chicago, IL
Vintage Modern Chrome Flat Bar Curved Back Tufted Bar Stools in Steel Grey Italian Leather - Pair The sleek chrome flat bar base provides a contemporary t...
Chrome
Glenn Thinking Stool in Gypsum & Fiberglass by Brent Warr Studios
By Brent Warr
Located in Bainbridge, GA
Blurring the lines of art and purpose, the Glenn Thinking Stool is a tribute to the artistry and uniqueness of handcraftsmanship. Perfect as an accent for a living room, the Glenn ...
Epoxy Resin, Fiberglass, Plaster, Paint, Hardwood
$1,115 / item
Imbuia Cardume Stool by Andreas Anwander
Located in Geneve, CH
Imbuia Cardume Stool by Andreas Anwander Dimensions: W 30 x D 30 x H 45 cm Materials: Solid Imbuia Wood. Weight: 2,5 kg. Stackability in the unconventional way A fish is just a sid...
Wood
$1,554 / item
Silent Stump, Side Table / Stool by Made by Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Silent stump, side table / stool by Made By Choice (Seating object, functioning also as a table) Nordic Silence Collection with Katrín Ólína Dimensions:...
Ash, Cork
$474 / item
Txt.16 Chimpestle Stool by Txt.Ure
Located in Geneve, CH
Txt.16 stool by Txt.Ure Dimensions: W 45 x D 35 x H 35 cm. Materials: Tule natural fiber with natural finish. Popularly known as chimpestles, the txt.16 draws on the ingeniuty of pre-Hispanic seating solutions. Made of bounded tule, the pieces are customizable in size and length, with a traditional carrying handle. They function as low seating for indoor and outdoor, as well as decorative objects. For interior and exterior use (under covered spaces). Txt. ure was the first design project to reintroduce the Mexican weaving style of the knotted tule technique. Once in danger of disappearing, the txt. 01 tabouret or in Nahuatl the tolli-icpalli knotting method, now gives structure to signature works from the txt. ure Tule Collection, developed with master artisans to achieve durability and contemporary scale. Drawing on more than two years of research and development, the Tule Collection encourage the wider awareness of Mexican craft...
Other
$522 / item
Pampa Leather Counter Stool by Cuero Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Pampa Leather Counter Stool by Cuero Design Dimensions: D 47 x W 47 x H 65 cm. Materials: Leather and metal. Finish: Chocolate leather and black frame....
Metal
$1,626 / item
Prisma Stool by Luis Gimeno
Located in Geneve, CH
Prisma Stool by Luis Gimeno Dimensions: W 35 x D 35 x H 45 cm Materials: Oak Wood. Four sleek prism-shaped legs support a top seat crafted from three layers of thick, dark brown ash...
Oak
$13,780 / item
Object 07 Green Seating by Volta
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 07 Green Seating by Volta One Of A Kind. Dimensions: D 34,5 x W 120 x H 80 cm. Materials: Cork and ceramic. Also available in diffentent colors. Please contact us. MEÏ COLLE...
Ceramic, Cork
$2,089 / item
Object 02 Marron Seating by Volta
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 02 marron seating by Volta Dimensions: D 45 x W 40 x H 95 cm Materials: Cork and Velvet Also available in diffentent colours. Please contact us. MEÏ COLLECTION The Meï ...
Velvet, Cork
$2,089 / item
Object 04 Beige Seating by Volta
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 04 beige seating by Volta Dimensions: D 45 x W 40 x H 90 cm Materials: Cork and Velvet Also available in diffentent colours. Please contact us. MEÏ COLLECTION The Meï c...
Velvet, Cork
$1,958 / item
Ducale BZ Stool by GIROTTI ENRICO
Located in Geneve, CH
Ducale BZ Stool by GIROTTI ENRICO Dimensions: W 53 x D 55 x H 110 cm Materials: Solid shaped steel with a chrome finish and eco-leather upholstery. Weight: 8 Kg. Enrico Girotti is ...
Steel
$9,519 / item
Brazilian Ottoman by Tino Seubert
Located in Geneve, CH
Brazilian ottoman by Tino Seubert Dimensions: D 140 x W 70 x H 38 cm. Materials: Oiled Sapele wood, Alpaca bouclé upholstered mattress. Tino Seubert When he first made his now ...
Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
Bar Stools in Metal and Red Corduroy Upholstery
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Bar stools, metal, velvet, Europe, 1970s. Exquisite barstools in red velvet upholstery. Due to the soft seat and back, these chairs provide a very pleasant seating comfort. The five...
Metal
$4,661 / item
Bruch Glass Stool by Anima Ona
Located in Geneve, CH
Bruch glass stool by Anima Ona Dimensions: D 40 x W 40 x H 40 cm Materials: glass Bruch is made out of sheet glass which has been broken into stripes an...
Glass
$14,231 / item
Hughes Stool by Moure Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Hughes stool by Moure Studio Limited Edition of 23. Dimensions: d40x w45 x h27.8 cm Materials: Oiled solid oak The Hughes stool is made of solid oak...
Oak
Dartagnan Sbiancata Ash Counter Stool by Haymann Editions
Located in Geneve, CH
Dartagnan Sbiancata Ash Counter Stool by Haymann Editions Dimensions: D 53.5 x W 50.5 x H 80.5 cm. Materials: Rosso Bulgaro leather, Sbiancata ash. ...
Leather, Ash
Black Painted Brass Sculpted Chair with Seat Upholstered by Misaya
By Misaya
Located in Geneve, CH
Black Painted Brass Sculpted Chair with Seat Upholstered by Misaya Dimensions: W 54 x L 58 x H 79 cm (seating: 63) Hand-sculpted chair in brass. The translation of Art Nouveau’s whi...
Brass
Steppe Stool in Welded Mirror-Polished Stainless Steel by Julian Mayor
Located in Geneve, CH
Steppe Stool in Welded Mirror-Polished Stainless Steel by Julian Mayor Limited Edition of 8 + 4AP. Dimensions: D 46 x W 46 x H 45 cm. Materials: Mirror-polished stainless steel. Ju...
Stainless Steel
$1,096Sale Price / item|20% Off
Penguin Bar Stool by Franco V, Hand-Crafted Steel & Carrara Marble
By Franco V
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Meticulously hand-crafted, this striking piece features a powder coated steel frame, Carrara marble seat and footrest. Seamlessly blending function with art, Its design draws inspi...
Carrara Marble, Steel
$5,353 / item
Wave Stool & Side Table II by Homa
Located in Geneve, CH
Wave Stool & Side Table II by Homa. Dimensions: W 30 x D 30 x H 36 cm . Materials: Blown Glass, Silver Mirror. Colour: Silver. Formed through an experimental glassblowing process,...
Blown Glass, Mirror
$925 / item
Lonna Bar Stool, Oak by Made By Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Lonna bar stool, oak by Made By Choice (Medium) Dimensions: 34 x 34 x 66 cm Materials: Oak Also Available: Ash, Black, Ultra Yellow Custom color Lonna furniture series was or...
Ash
$973 / item
Object 064 Stool by NG Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 064 stool by NG Design Dimensions: D38 x H45 cm Materials: Powder coated steel, Boucle upholstery Also Available: All of objects available in different materials and colo...
Steel
$4,771 / item
Graceful Bar Stool Pink by Royal Stranger
Located in Geneve, CH
Graceful bar stool pink by Royal Stranger Dimensions: D 48 x W 48 x H 124 cm Materials: velvet, wood, brass. Weight: 12 kg FINISH OPTIONS Upholstery Available in all Royal Str...
Brass
Set Of 2 Mike Reclaimed Oak Stools by Fred and Juul
Located in Geneve, CH
Set Of 2 Mike Reclaimed Oak Stools by Fred and Juul Dimensions: D 31 x W 36 x H 45 cm. Materials: Reclaimed oak and brass. This stool can also be used as a side table. Custom sizes,...
Brass
Gradient 02 Oak, Chestnut, Ash and Beech Wood Stool by Luis Gimeno
Located in Geneve, CH
Gradient 02 Oak, Chestnut, Ash, and Beech Wood Stool by Luis Gimeno Dimensions: D 40 x W 40 x H 50 cm Materials: Black stained Oak, Chestnut, Ash, Beech. The idea behind this design...
Ash, Beech, Chestnut, Oak
$1,756 / item
Fringes Stool by Munna
Located in Geneve, CH
Fringes 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 and fringes. ...
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
$3,454 / item
Efesto Stool by De Castelli
Located in Geneve, CH
Efesto Stool by De Castelli Dimensions: W 36 x D 42 x H 45 cm Materials: Polished Stainless Steel Other versions are available, please contact us for any request. More than mere fur...
Stainless Steel
$2,089 / 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
Cubic Shape Natural Ash Wood Side Table with Fiber Seating by Heilig Objects
Located in Geneve, CH
Throne Stool in Natural Ash Wood And Synthetic Yarn by Heilig Objects Dimensions: D 30 x W 30 x H 45 cm. Materials: Ash wood and synthetic yarn. Daniel Heilig. A young Hungarian-Ger...
Ash, Yarn
$791 / item
Black September Bar Stool by OxDenmarq
Located in Geneve, CH
Black September Bar Stool by OxDenmarq Dimensions: D 38 x W 42 x H 93 cm Materials: Leather, Black Powder Coated Steel Also Available: Different colors available OX DENMARQ is ...
Steel
$1,804 / item
Timber Stool Burned Pine by Onno Adriaanse
Located in Geneve, CH
Timber Stool Burned Pine by Onno Adriaanse Signed and numbered Dimensions: D 40 x W 29 x H 45 cm Materials: Burned pine, colored linseed oil Also available in Color: Indigo blue, pur...
Coating, Pine