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.
$5,234 / item
Layered Steel Seat XV by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Layered steel seat XV by Hyungshin Hwang Dimensions: D 37 x W 60 x H 84 cm Materials: stainless steel Layered Series is the main theme and concept of work of Hwang, who continue...
Stainless Steel
$1,808 / 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
$2,914 / item
Bleached Tauari Gravatá Counter Stool by Wentz
Located in Geneve, CH
Bleached Tauari Gravatá Counter Stool by Wentz Dimensions: D 52 x W 47 x H 90 cm Materials: Tauari Wood, Cane/Upholstery. Weight: 4,4kg / 9,7 lbs The Gravatá series synthesizes our ...
Upholstery, Wood
$2,093 / item
Object 02 Violet Seating by Volta
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 02 Violet 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
$523 / 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: Black leather and black frame. Av...
Metal
$1,772 / item
Macaron Low Stool by Haymann Editions
Located in Geneve, CH
Macaron Low Stool by Haymann Editions Dimensions: D 60 x W 60 x H 35 cm. Materials: Cork, foam. Toni Grilo delivers a gourmet piece, all in curves. Macaron stool brown cork evokes o...
Foam, Cork
$4,187 / item
Layered Steel Seat IX by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Layered steel seat IX by Hyungshin Hwang. Dimensions: D 33 x W 27 x H 42 cm. Materials: stainless steel. Layered Series is the main theme and concept of work of Hwang, who conti...
Stainless Steel
$942 / item
White Tupp Barstool by Storängen Design
Located in Geneve, CH
White Tupp barstool by Storängen Design Dimensions: D 41 x W 41 x H 85 x SH 65 cm Materials: birch wood, nickel plated steel. Also available in other colors. Give the bar some ...
Steel
$3,295 / item
Unique Building Stool by Goons
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique building stool by Goons Dimensions: W 41 x D 26 x H 33 cm Materials: Wood Dimensions can be adjusted +/- 10 cm Goons is located in Paris, France. All of their designs are ...
Wood
$6,971 / item
Tata Stool by Studio Uwe Gaertner
Located in Geneve, CH
Tata Stool by Studio Uwe Gaertner Dimensions: D 36 x W 40 x H 42 cm. Materials: Brass and Kvadrat Vidar 4 (no. 972) fabric (94% new wool, and 6% nylon). Despite its small size, the ...
Brass
$463 / item
Black Trifolium Stool by OxDenmarq
Located in Geneve, CH
Black trifolium stool by OxDenmarq Dimensions: D 40 x W 40 x H 45 cm Materials: Leather, Steel Also Available: Different colors and other frame color available. OX DENMARQ is a...
Steel
$2,486 / item
Tregony Stool by Riccardo Monte
Located in Geneve, CH
Tregony Stool by Riccardo Monte Dimensions: D 42 x W 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Oak. Riccardo Monte is a creative studio based in the Italian Alps. With the vision of creating a multi...
Oak
$1,403 / item
Timber Stool Uncolored Wood by Onno Adriaanse
Located in Geneve, CH
Timber stool uncolored wood by Onno Adriaanse Signed and numbered Dimensions: D 40x W 29 x H 45 cm Materials: Stained pine wood, clear satin coating A...
Pine, Coating
$5,757 / item
Element Basalt Bulk Stool by Idaaf Architects
Located in Geneve, CH
Element Basalt Bulk Stool by Idaaf Architects Dimensions: W 85 x D 45 x H 55 cm Materials: basalt ‘Element’, which combines furniture of different functions, was created under the influence of the Georgian Oda house...
Other
$2,855 / item
Ciro Stool by Murubi
Located in Geneve, CH
Ciro Stool by Murubi Dimensions: W 50 x D 50 x H 45.5 cm. Materials: Teak Wood- Natural, Cast Aluminium, Black powder coated, Cane natural. Murubi is a contemporary design-driven...
Wood
$6,995 / item
Unique Building Stool by Goons
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique building stool by Goons Dimensions: W 41 x D 26 x H 33 cm Materials: Oak. The Building Stool is one of goons’ most architectural pieces. Inspired by the Nordic Pavilion o...
Wood
$1,736 / set
Set of 2, Halikko Bar Stools by Made by Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2, Halikko bar stools by Made By Choice Dimensions: 40 x 34 x 66 cm Materials: solid oak Standard finishes: natural wood / painted black. Also available: upholstery in ...
Oak
$3,307 / item
Mike Reclaimed Oak Stool by Fred and Juul
Located in Geneve, CH
Mike Reclaimed Oak Stool 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 t...
Brass
$2,367 / item
Bone Bermuda Triangle Counter Stool by Odditi
Located in Geneve, CH
Bone Bermuda Triangle Counter Stool by Odditi Dimensions: D 42 x H 65 cm Materials: Petrified Wood Sculpted Seat, Limestone Composite, Steel Base The ‘Bermuda Triangle’ sculptural s...
Limestone, Steel
U-shaped Form Rubber Seat and Burned Steel Medium Stool 2.0 by Arno Declercq
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium AD stool 2.0 by Arno Declercq Materials: Patinated steel. Dimensions: W 104 x D 38 x H 69 cm. Arno Declercq Belgian designer and art dealer who makes bespoke objects with pa...
Steel
$939 / item
Vibe Sofa Stool by DAaZ
Located in Geneve, CH
Vibe Sofa Stool by DAaZ Dimensions: D 55 x W 85 x H 41 cm. Materials: Fabric, albizzia wood. DAaZ Furniture honors the spirit of adventure. We embrace the escape of the ordinary an...
Upholstery, Wood
$1,153 / item
Puffy Stool S by Phormy
Located in Geneve, CH
Puffy stool S by Phormy Dimensions: D 44 x W 66 x H 44 cm. Materials: Upholstery, powder coated steel base. Different materials and sizes available. PUFFY is softness and lightness dressed up in ten intriguing modules. Its usage is very wide. It will turn out great as a hallway seat...
Upholstery
$2,355 / item
Burnt Black E Tables / Stools by Touch With Eyes
Located in Geneve, CH
Burnt Black E 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
$2,974 / item
Bleached Tauari Tela Counter Stool by Wentz
Located in Geneve, CH
Bleached Tauari Tela Chair by Wentz Dimensions: D 52 x W 58 x H 84 cm Materials: Tauari Wood, Cotton, Weave, Plywood, Upholstery. Weight: 5,8kg / 12,7 lbs The Tela armchair is a mee...
Upholstery, Wood, Plywood
$1,380 / item
Sanguine Bellini High Stool by Coco Flip
Located in Geneve, CH
Sanguine Bellini High Stool by Coco Flip Dimensions: D 34 x W 34 x H 65/75 cm Materials: Timber / Stone tops, Powder-coated steel frame. Weight: 8kg Frame Finishes: Textura Paperbar...
Stone, Steel
Flame Red Amélie Sit Up High Stool by Italo Pertichini
Located in Geneve, CH
Flame Red Amélie Sit Up High Stool by Italo Pertichini Dimensions: D 49 x W 45 x H 95 cm. Materials: Polyethylene. Weight: 6 kg. Available in a standard version and lacquered versio...
Other
$832 / item
Senufo Stool by DAaZ
Located in Geneve, CH
Senufo Stool by DAaZ Dimensions: D 36 x W 48 x H 46 cm. Materials: Albizzia. DAaZ Furniture honors the spirit of adventure. We embrace the escape of the ordinary and revel in the m...
Wood
$6,281 / item
Bogdan Bench by Studio Intervallo
Located in Geneve, CH
Bogdan bench by Studio Intervallo. Dimensions: W 180 x D 40 x H 46 cm. Materials: LINDEN solid wood, with colored decoration on the circumference. Other types of wood available ...
Wood
$2,105 / 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
$1,939 / item
White Oak Mono Bar Stool by Kasper Nyman
Located in Geneve, CH
White oak mono bar stool by Kasper Nyman. Materials: plywood with oak veneer. Dimensions: D 44.7 x W 43.7 x H 87.6 cm. The founders, Mia and Torben Koed, decided to put their 30...
Oak, Plywood
$1,308 / item
Dove Grey Lazy Bones High Stool by Barnaby Gunning
Located in Geneve, CH
Dove Grey Lazy Bones High Stool by Barnaby Gunning Dimensions: D 40 x W 50 x H 72 cm. Materials: Polyethylene. Weight: 8 kg. Available in different color op...
Other
Past Create Future Barstool by Markus Friedrich Staab
Located in Geneve, CH
Past Create Future Barstool by Markus Friedrich Staab One of a Kind Dimensions: D 26 x W 43 x H 74 cm. Materials: Wood, lacquer, paint. French barstool contemporized, piece added, c...
Wood, Lacquer, Paint
$2,379 / item
Pedina Stool by Kreoo
Located in Geneve, CH
Pedina Stool by Kreoo Designed by Enzo Berti Dimensions: Ø 36 x H 43 cm. Base: Ø 25 cm. Materials: Verde Imperiale marble. Available in different marble options. Please contact us....
Marble
$2,355 / 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
Postmodern Kreuzschwinger Barstool by Till Behrens for Meyer Stahlmöbel, 1980s
By Till Behrens
Located in Hamburg, DE
Till Behrens Kreuzschwinger bar stool in the rare color black. Elegant design classic by Prof. Till Behrens in the Bar stool version. The further development of the free wing. The s...
Metal
$1,903 / item
Fran Stool by GIROTTI ENRICO
Located in Geneve, CH
Fran Stool by GIROTTI ENRICO Dimensions: W 64 x D 51 x H 101 cm Materials: Steel, Upholstery. Weight: 8 Kg. Enrico Girotti is an industrial designer who has found in the word “make...
Steel
$19,629 / item
Ocean Blue Wave Ceramic Chair by Forma Rosa Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Ocean Blue Wave Ceramic Chair by Forma Rosa Studio Dimensions: D 53.3 x W 53.3 x H 66 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Available in Coral Cream and Ocean Blue colors. This ceramic-crafted s...
Ceramic
Anna Castelli Ferrieri Design in Years '80 for Kartell Set of Two Stools "Polo"
Located in Biella, IT
Anna Castelli Ferrieri design in years '80 for Kartell two stools "polo" in white, light grey and black color, in good vintage condition with light sign of use Anna Castelli Ferrieri (August 6, 1918 - June 22, 2006) was an Italian architect and industrial designer. She is most known for her influence in the use of plastics as a mainstream design material and her cofounding of Kartell, an Italian contemporary furniture company. Ferrieri was a pioneering architect, commonly associated with post war Italian Modern Design. Her design focused on technological innovation through the use of new materials, like plastic. Ferrieri created more than 50 architectural projects, but some of her most famous and iconic works are as follow; the Kartell headquarters (with it being made from brilliant red blocks), a residential building on Via Marchiondi in Milan, and several offices and factories in Alfa Romeo. All of these were created in collaboration with Ignazio Gardella.[1] Although, according to biographer Cristina Morozzi, Gardella took the recognition for projects that Ferrieri worked on because he wanted to be the master of his own studio.[9] In 1982, she created the first table...
Metal
$2,146 / item
Brass Sculptural Log Stool - Small Size by Misaya
By Masaya
Located in Geneve, CH
Brass Sculptural Log Stool - Small size by Misaya Dimensions: W 22 x D 27 x H 44 cm Materials: Brass Also available: Different colors (gold, polished brass. black, painted brass) an...
Brass
$2,331 / item
Chouchou Rose Stool by Pulpo
Located in Geneve, CH
Chouchou rose stool by Pulpo Dimensions: D35 x W30 x H43 cm Materials: ceramic Also available in different colours. Whether stool or storage table...
Ceramic
$2,093 / item
Object 02 Vert Seating by Volta
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 02 vert 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 co...
Velvet, Cork
$1,558 / item
Object 01 Vert Seating by Volta
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 01 Vert Seating by Volta Dimensions: D 45 x W 40 x H 50 cm Materials: Cork and Velvet Also available in diffentent colours. Please contact us. MEÏ COLLECTION The Meï co...
Velvet, Cork
$2,557 / item
Raw Aluminium Loop Chair by Sebastian Scherer
Located in Geneve, CH
Raw Aluminium loop chair by Sebastian Scherer Dimensions: D57x w40 x H80 cm Material: Aluminium. Weight: 51 kg. Also available: Colours: Snow white / light sand / sun yellow / cl...
Aluminum
$1,308 / item
Sweet Fuchsia Voilà High Stool by Marc Sadler
Located in Geneve, CH
Sweet Fuchsia Voilà High Stool by Marc Sadler Dimensions: D 38 x W 35 x H 84 cm. Materials: Polyethylene. Weight: 6 kg. Available in different different color options. This product ...
Other
$678 / item
High Básica Bar Stool by Doimo Brasil
Located in Geneve, CH
High Básica Bar Stool by Doimo Brasil Dimensions: W 46 x D 50 x H 104 cm Materials: Paint, Natural Leather With the intention of providing good taste and personality, Doimo deciph...
Leather, Paint
Contemporary Art Senior Footstool in Velvet and Grezzo Arte Wood by Urano Palma
By Mirabili, Urano Palma
Located in Pistoia, IT
... So many chairs, so many benches, so many big tables, all with the wrinkled skin of old tree trunks or of rusted metal sheet. The chair is probably the central symbol of this univ...
Velvet, Wood
$22,746 / item
Object 06 Brown Seating by Volta
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 06 Brown Seating by Volta One Of A Kind. Dimensions: D 80 x W 200 x H 75 cm. Materials: Cork and ceramic. Also available in diffentent colors. Please contact us. MEÏ COLLECT...
Ceramic, Cork
$1,308 / item
Flame Red Drink High Stool by Jorge Najera
Located in Geneve, CH
Flame Red Drink High Stool by Jorge Najera Dimensions: Ø 45 x H 75 cm. Materials: Polyethylene. Weight: 7 kg. Available in different color options. This product is suitable for ind...
Other
$1,284 / item
Mikado Bellini Low Stool by Coco Flip
Located in Geneve, CH
Mikado Bellini Low Stool by Coco Flip Dimensions: D 34 x W 34 x H 45 cm Materials: Timber / Stone tops, Powder-coated steel frame. Weight: 5 kg Frame Finishes: Textura Black. Coco ...
Stone, Steel
$1,099 / item
Burnt Oak Stool by Daniel Elkayam
Located in Geneve, CH
Burnt oak stool by Daniel Elkayam Edition of 3 Dimensions: D 30 x W 30 x H 45 cm Materials: Oak Wood The Charred Collection A collection of handmade wo...
Oak
$1,915 / item
Element Bulk Stool by Idaaf Architects
Located in Geneve, CH
Element Bulk Stool by Idaaf Architects Dimensions: W 85 x D 40 x H 55 cm Materials: Century Old Oak Made of solid oak, this 'Bulk' stool is one of the pieces of the ‘Element’ collection influenced by the Georgian Oda house...
Oak
$725 / item
Be My Guest Bar Stool by Warm Nordic
Located in Geneve, CH
Be My Guest Bar Stool by Warm Nordic Dimensions: D 38 x H 73 cm Material: White oiled solid oak, French cane, Black noir powder coated steel frame W...
Steel
$9,886 / item
The Hive Bar Stool by Royal Stranger
Located in Geneve, CH
The Hive counter stool by Royal Stranger Dimensions: D66 x W55 x H105 cm Materials: Celadon cotton velvet. cotton velvet, Polished brass. Weight: 15 kg Finish options: Upholst...
Brass
$1,177 / item
Foot Stool by Project 213A
Located in Geneve, CH
Foot stool in brown by Project 213A Dimensions: D 30 x W 30 x H 26.5 cm Materials: Chestnut wood. This playful design is inspired by a classic milking stool, and has a fun twis...
Chestnut
Small Pausa Oak Bench by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Pausa oak bench by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte Dimensions: D 20 x W 95 x H 45 cm Materials: oak wood. Available in burnt oak version and in 3 sizes. Pa...
Oak
Original Printed Velvet Awaiting H Stool by Secondome Edizioni
Located in Geneve, CH
Original Printed Velvet Awaiting H Stool by Secondome Edizioni Limited Edition Of 9 pieces + 3 A.P. Designer: Coralla Maiuri + Giorgia Zanellato. Dimensions: D 40 x W 65 x H 60 cm. M...
Brass
$3,402 / item
Layered Steel Stool by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Layered steel stool by Hyungshin Hwang 2019 Dimensions: D 30 x W 30 x H 42 cm Materials: Stainless Steel Layered Series is the main theme and...
Stainless Steel
$7,589 / item
Olla Stool II by Brera Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Olla stool II by Brera Studio. One of a kind. Dimensions: D 50 x W 50 x H 40 cm. Materials: pinewood and paint. Made from endemic pine wood in the region of Chihuahua, and hand...
Wood, Pine, Paint
$463 / item
Mocca and Black Trifolium Stool by OxDenmarq
Located in Geneve, CH
Mocca and Black Trifolium Stool by OxDenmarq Dimensions: D 40 x W 40 x H 45 cm Materials: Leather, Steel Also Available: Different colors and other frame color available, OX DE...
Steel
$1,962 / item
Unique Arch Circular White Stool by Mesut Öztürk
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique arch circular white stool by Mesut Öztürk Dimensions: W 26 x D 26 x H 41 cm Materials: Stoneware "Arch Stools are sculptural furniture's deri...
Stoneware