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.
$9,617 / 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
$1,978 / 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
$949 / 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
$2,314 / item
Brass Ribbon Stool by Gentner Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Steel Ribbon stool by Gentner Design Dimensions: D 50 x W 15 x H 43 cm Materials: brass Available in steel and brass. An exercise in minimalism and...
Brass
$4,784 / item
Trasiego Bench by Sebastián Ángeles
Located in Geneve, CH
Trasiego bench by Arturo Verástegui Dimensions: D 160 x W 60 x H 42 cm Materials: oak wood. Natural white oak bench. Sebastián Angeles is an In...
Oak
$587 / item
Smoked Cork Prop Stool by OxDenmarq
Located in Geneve, CH
Smoked Cork Prop Stool by OxDenmarq Dimensions: D 41 x W 41 x H 70 cm Materials: Cork, Black Powder Coated Steel Also Available: Different colors available, OX DENMARQ is a Dan...
Steel
$5,012 / item
Layered Steel Seat XI by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Layered steel seat XI by Hyungshin Hwang Dimensions: D 36 x W 54 x H 54 cm Materials: stainless steel Layered Series is the main theme and concept of work of Hwang, who continue...
Stainless Steel
$1,846 / item
Low Brass Sculpted Stool, Misaya
By Misaya
Located in Geneve, CH
Low brass sculpted stool, Misaya Dimensions: W 58 x L 58 x H 24 cm Hand-sculpted stool.
Brass
$1,355 / item
Pill Stool by Meg Morrison
Located in Geneve, CH
Pill Stool by Meg Morrison Dimensions: D 25 x H 47 cm (approximate measurements) Materials: Stoneware, textile mill remnants. This piece can be used...
Other
Large Pausa Burnt Oak Bench by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Pausa burnt oak bench by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte Dimensions: D 35 x W 95 x H 80 cm Materials: burnt oak wood. Available in natural oak version and in 3 sizes. Pausa is...
Oak
$1,748 / item
White Tooth Chair by Dongwook Choi
Located in Geneve, CH
White Tooth Chair by Dongwook Choi Dimensions: 70 x 37 x 45 cm Materials: EPS, plaster It is a chair made with the motif of tooth shape. After the urethan...
Plaster
Cult Stool, Sculptural Side Table, Mexican Ice Onyx / Marble
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Cult stool / side table; a hand sculpted stone from an incredibly particular stone; Mexican Ice Onyx, remits to primal sculptural-architectural language while displaying materials in...
Onyx
$2,374 / item
H Stool by Neil Nenner and Avihai Mizrahi
Located in Geneve, CH
H stool by Neil Nenner and Avihai Mizrahi Objects Dimensions: H 90 x L 42 x W 25 cm Seat height: 45cm Materials: Iron Avihai Mizrahi (b. 1979, ...
Iron
Postmodern Plastic Faux Wood Stool, Memphis Style, Vintage, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern Plastic Faux Wood Stool, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1980 to 1989. Additional information: Materials: Plastic Styles: Memphis, Postmodern Item Type: Vintage, Anti...
Plastic
Italian Postmodern Ulisse Folding Stool by Ivan Loss for Sandrigarden, 1980s
By Ivan Loss
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern folding stool from the Italian manufacturer Sandrigard after a design by Ivan Loss from the 80s. An elegant and extremely functional design. The stool can be used as a wa...
Metal
Pair of Postmodern Stools by Anna Casatelli Ferrieri for Kartell, Italy, 1980s
By Anna Castelli Ferrieri, Kartell
Located in Rome, IT
Pair of black and white Postmodern bar or counter stools by the Italian designer Anna Casatelli Ferrieri for Kartell, Italy, circa 1980.
Metal
Sitiera Stool in Solid Wood with Aged Bronze Accents by Estudio Andean
Located in Geneve, CH
Sitiera Stool in Solid Wood with Aged Bronze Accents by Estudio Andean Dimensions: D 34 x W 34 x H 50 cm. SH: 50 cm. Materials: Bronze and solid wood. Stool crafted from solid Seike...
Bronze
Night Log / Nightstand Sculptural Side Table
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Night Log Formed from a reclaimed tree trunk, Night Log preserves the natural silhouette of the wood its knots, cracks, and irregular contours that trace the memory of growth. After ...
Resin, Wood
Fundamentos del Vacío Auxiliary Table / Stool by Lasanimas
Located in Geneve, CH
Fundamentos del Vacío Auxiliary Table / Stool by Lasanimas Dimensions: W 50 x D 48 x H 36 cm Materials: Plywood. Las Ánimas is the creative duo composed by Trini Salamanca and Pabl...
Plywood
$1,480Sale Price / set|20% Off
1980s Waterfall Benches in a Green Moire Fabric in the Style of Karl Springer
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A really nice pair of waterfall benches that will compliment any room. The green moire fabric is in wonderful shape. We can also upholster th...
Upholstery
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
Postmodern Kreuzschwinger Bar Kitchen Stools 2nd Generation by Till Behrens
By Till Behrens
Located in Hamburg, DE
Very rare original Till Behrens 2nd generation Kreuzschwinger bar or kitchen stools. Elegant design classic by Prof. Till Behrens in the newer 2nd generation with changes in constru...
Metal
$1,200 / item
Cult Stool, Sculptural Side Table, in Black Laquer
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Cult Stool remits to primal sculptural-architectural language while displaying materials in a modernist manner. This edition of Cult Stool in stark contrast to its predecesor is redu...
Resin, Wood
Italian Designer, Stool, Rattan, Italy, 1970s
Located in High Point, NC
A rattan or wicker stool, designed and produced in Italy, c. 1970s.
Rattan
$1,031 / item
High Bora Bar Stool by Doimo Brasil
Located in Geneve, CH
High Bora Bar Stool by Doimo Brasil Dimensions: W 52 x D 56 x H 108 cm Materials: Paint, Natural leather. Also available in W 52 x D 56 x H 92 cm, Seat Height: 60 cm. With the in...
Leather, Paint
Scandinavian Stools in Pine with Geometric Tops 1970s
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Stools or side tables, pine, Scandinavia, 1970s This beautiful set of stools, crafted from natural pine wood, showcases a striking combination of geometric shapes and a rich, patina...
Pine
Vintage Veneman Cast Aluminum Branch Barstools. - A Pair
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This exquisite pair of Veneman cast aluminum barstools captures the whimsical yet sophisticated essence of Faux Bois design. Expertly crafted to mimic the organic texture of real tre...
Aluminum
Nobu Tanigawa "Nardis" Chrome Bar Stools for Fasem Italy, Set of Two
By Nobu Tanigawa, Fasem International
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of Nardis bar height stools with rubber like seats on a polished chrome frame designed by Nobu Tanigawa for Fasem Italy.
Chrome
$2,070 / set
Chess Stool/ Sculptural Side Table
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Two hand-turned wooden pieces with an elegant piano polish lacquer play together as sculptural stools or side table sets.
Resin, Wood
$3,261 / item
Arches Bar Stool by InsidherLand
Located in Geneve, CH
Arches Bar Stool by InsidherLand Dimensions: D 57 x W 55 x H 112 cm. Materials: Black lacquered wood, polished brass, InsidherLand Smooth Velvet Ref. ...
Brass
$1,295 / item
Marmoset Bellini Low Stool by Coco Flip
Located in Geneve, CH
Marmoset 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 Paperbark. ...
Stone, Steel
$14,509 / item
Granite Caracoles Ceramic Stool by Forma Rosa Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Granite Caracoles Ceramic Stool by Forma Rosa Studio Dimensions: D 45.7 x W 45.7 x H 50.8 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Available in Green and Granite colors. This ceramic-crafted stool ...
Ceramic
$2,626 / item
Lune V Stool by Duistt
Located in Geneve, CH
Lune V Stool by Duistt Dimensions: D 40 x H 45 cm Materials: Duistt Fabric, Brass LUNE V stool, crafted with great attention to detail, is a gorgeous and versatile piece. It is pres...
Brass
$1,474 / item
Puffy Stool L by Phormy
Located in Geneve, CH
PUFFY stool L by Phormy Dimensions: D 44 x W 110 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...
Steel
$1,187 / 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
$5,790 / item
Banquito Galeana Stool by Jorge Diego Etienne
Located in Geneve, CH
Banquito Galeana stool by Jorge Diego Etienne Limited Edition of 10 + 1 AP Dimensions: D 35 x W 35 x H 37.5 cm Material: alabaster Galeana is a collection of 6 objects designed...
Alabaster
$857 / item
Large Natural Tupp Stool by Storängen Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Natural Tupp stool by Storängen Design Dimensions: D 45 x W 45 x H 82 cm Materials: birch wood, nickel plated steel. Also available in other colors and with backrest. Giv...
Steel
$1,002 / item
Large Natural Tupp Barstool by Storängen Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Large natural 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 th...
Steel
Inside / Outside Jää Cube Side Table / Seat - Recycled Plastic - Pair Available
Located in Leicester, GB
The Jää cube is a multifunctional side table. The Jää cube has a sculptural design with a beautiful tactile surface and small, satin polished aluminium spacers and end nuts. It has a...
Aluminum
$1,450 / item
Foot Stool in Natural by Project 213A
Located in Geneve, CH
Foot stool in Natural by Project 213A Dimensions: D 30 x W 30 x H 26.5 cm Materials: Oak wood. This playful design is inspired by a classic milking stool, and has a fun twist w...
Oak
Patrick Naggar Rare Tabouret Stool Circa 1986 France
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Rare vintage tabouret stools designed by Patrick Naggar, circa 1986, for ARC International. Crafted in molded ebonized wood with electric blue enameled steel legs featuring a distinc...
Metal
$3,429 / item
Metate Black Solid Oak Wood Stool by David Del Valle
Located in Geneve, CH
Matate Black Solid Oak Wood Stool by David Del Valle Dimensions: D 40 x W 40 x H 40 cm. Materials: Oak. DAVID VALLE We are a place, a space, a woven c...
Oak
$10,840 / item
Hopi Ottoman Red Pattern by Marta Bakowski
Located in Geneve, CH
Hopi Ottoman red pattern by Marta Bakowski Dimensions:D65 x W65 x 44 cm Materials: Marble and fabric. Also available in different finishes. HOPI, this new collection of ottomans ins...
Marble
$3,429 / item
Layered Steel Seat X by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Layered steel seat X 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 continues...
Stainless Steel
$467 / 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
$3,429 / item
Layered Steel Seat XIV by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Layered steel seat XIV by Hyungshin Hwang Dimensions: D 33 x W 30 x H 45 cm Materials: stainless steel Layered Series is the main theme and concept of work of Hwang, who continu...
Stainless Steel
$3,693 / item
Black Ocean 3 Stool by the Shaw
Located in Geneve, CH
Black Ocean 3 stool by The Shaw. Dimensions: D32.5 x W 32.5 x H97 cm. Materials: stainless steel. Weight: 15 kg. B L A C K O C E A N I opened my eyes, it was still dark, the ...
Stainless Steel
$1,415 / 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
$1,582 / item
Traspade Pouf by Testatonda
By Testatonda
Located in Geneve, CH
Traspade pouf by Testatonda Dimensions: D 60 x W 58 x H 38 cm. Materials: stainless steel. The Trespade collection is the repetition of dimensions, the intertwining of materials...
Stainless Steel
Chess Stool/ Sculptural Side Table (Concave)
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Two hand-turned wooden pieces with an elegant piano polish lacquer play together as sculptural stools or side table sets.
Resin, Wood
$911Sale Price / set|20% Off
Vintage bar stools by Allmilmö, 1980s, Set of 3
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Set of 3 post modern bar stools by Allmilmö. White metal frames with cool bentwood seats. 1980s - Germany In good condition Dimensions: Height 100cm Width: 50cm Depth: 45cm Seat ...
Metal
Trio Vintage Design Institute America Counter Height Bar Stools Steel Frames
By Design Institute America, Milo Baughman
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Designed and made in the United States, these feature a somewhat ambiguous history. They have been credited to Design Institute America, a somewhat ambiguous manufacturer itself, and...
Steel
$20,049 / item
Otto Signed Stool by Rockstool Paris
Located in Geneve, CH
Otto Signed Stool by Rockstool Paris Limited edition of 15 + 5 AP per color Dimensions: W 75 x D 60 x H 55 cm Materials: Stoneware Available in different colors and sizes, please co...
Stone, Other
Zitō Unique Sculptural Stool in Solid Oak Wood & Stone by Andres Monnier
Located in Geneve, CH
Zitō Unique Sculptural Stool in Solid Oak Wood & Stone by Andres Monnier Unique Piece Dimensions: D 30 x W 30 x H 60 cm. Materials: Travertine. Available in different finishes and m...
Stone
American Designer, Stools, Pine, Brass, Mohair, USA, 1980s
Located in High Point, NC
A pair of dark-stained pine, brass and mohair stools designed and produced in the US, c. 1980s. Dimensions: 31.25” H x 16” W x 15.375” D All upholstered furniture can be reupholste...
Brass
$7,386 / item
Black Layered Oak Wood Seat by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Black Layered oak wood seat by Hyungshin Hwang Dimensions: D 33 x W 54 x H 120 cm Materials: ebonized red oak Layered Series is the main theme and c...
Oak
Set of Three Bar Stools by Maurizio Peregalli for Zeus Noto
By Zeus, Ettore Sottsass, Maurizio Peregalli
Located in Dronten, NL
Elegant and minimal, this set of three bar stools by Maurizio Peregalli embodies the refined industrial aesthetic that defines Italian design of the late 20th century. Designed for Z...
Steel
Postmodern Bar Stools, Model 4822 “Polo” by Anna Castelli Ferrieri for Kartell
By Anna Castelli Ferrieri, Kartell
Located in Almelo, NL
Postmodern Bar Stools, Model 4822 “Polo” by Anna Castelli Ferrieri for Kartell, Italy, 1984 Designed by pioneering Italian architect and designer Anna Castelli Ferrieri, these strik...
Metal
Design for Leisure Gray Ultrasuede, Lucite, Aluminum, Glass Postmodern Bar Suite
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This rare and fantastic bar suite was in the 1980s by Design for Leisure. The now defunct company was a high quality seating resource for the interior design trade, in the day. These...
Aluminum, Steel
Aurora stool, black solid wood, black caning back, off white textiles seating
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
Immerse yourself in the captivating world of the award-winning Aurora Collection, also known as Dawn — a transformative milestone in our esteemed design legacy that has earned the pr...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut