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.
Contemporary Dark Solid Iron Steel Chair III with Natural Stone by Lee Sisan
Located in Geneve, CH
Proportions of Stone Chair III by Lee Sisan Dimensions: W 40 x D 40 x H 80 cm Materials: Raw iron steel, natural stone. Each piece is made to order and uses natural stones, so pleas...
Stone, Steel
$3,745Sale Price|20% Off
Postmodern Three-Legged, Suction Cup Highchair with Casters
Located in Hyères, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Progress is change. And change means doing something differently than before: students revolt against their teachers, young progressives against old masters. In art and design, too, ...
Metal
$9,738 / item
Cronos Bench by Sebastián Ángeles
Located in Geneve, CH
Cronos bench by Sebastián Ángeles Dimensions: W 180 x D 42 x H 45 cm Materials: Oak Sebastián Angeles is an Industrial Designer originally from Mexico City who graduated from th...
Oak
$9,153 / item
Stool III by Gentner Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Stool III by Gentner Design Dimensions: D 35.5 x W 35.5 x H 45.7 cm Materials: stainless steel, leather Formed leather supported by machined aluminum, raised up by formed stainl...
Stainless Steel
$10,581 / item
Hopi Ottoman Green Pattern by Marta Bakowski
Located in Geneve, CH
Hopi ottoman green pattern by Marta Bakowski. Dimensions:D 65 x W 65 x 44 cm. Materials: marble and fabric. Also available in different finishes. HOPI, this new collection of ottoma...
Marble
$2,446 / item
Postmodern Moon Stool by Dechem Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Postmodern moon stool by Dechem Studio. Dimensions: D 29 x W 36.5 x H 45 cm. Materials: Corian. One of the few projects of DECHEM without glass, o...
Corian
$7,339 / 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
$3,347 / 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 ...
Stainless Steel
$29,356 / set
Ensemble of Three Creachairs Signed by Cal Summers
By Cal Summers
Located in Geneve, CH
Creachair signed by Cal Summers ‘Creachair’ Materials sculpted iron. Waxed finish. Leather upholstery Size: 16” D x 16” W, 22” H Cal Summers is a British designer who makes b...
Iron
Mirror Polished and Rush Weave Wicker Stool by Tino Seubert
Located in Geneve, CH
Mirror polished and rush weave wicker stool by Tino Seubert Dimensions: D 43 x W 38 x H 45 cm. Materials: Mirror polished aluminum extrusions, rush. Tino Seubert When he first ...
Aluminum
Large Pausa Oak Stool by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Pausa oak stool by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte Dimensions: D 32 x W 35 x H 80 cm Materials: oak wood Available in burnt oak version and in 3 sizes. Pausa is a series of st...
Oak
$7,467 / 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
Set of 2, Airisto Side Tables / Stools, Natural Color by Made by Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2, Airisto side tables/stools, natural color by Made By Choice By Choice with Joanna Laajisto Dimensions: D35 x H45 cm Materials: Solid Ash. Finishes: Natural Ash / Painte...
Wood, Ash
$1,381 / 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
$7,854 / item
Tooth Chair in Cast Aluminium by Dongwook Choi
Located in Geneve, CH
Tooth Chair in Cast Aluminium by Dongwook Choi. Dimensions: W 38 x D 70 x 45 cm. Materials: Cast aluminium. Dongwook Choi studied at Konkuk university, Seoul for BFA, majoring metal...
Aluminum
Rare ‘Noah’ stool by Nigel Coates for SCP in 1988.
By Nigel Coates, SCP
Located in Antwerp, BE
A rare ‘Noah’ stool designed by British architect and designer Nigel Coates in 1988 for SCP (Sheridan Coakley Products), United Kingdom. The stool captures Coates’ distinctive approa...
Steel
$4,248 / 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
$3,090 / item
Oak Root Stool by Daniel Elkayam
Located in Geneve, CH
Oak Root Stool by Daniel Elkayam One of a Kind Dimensions: D 30 x W 30 x H 45 cm Materials: Oak Wood Daniel Elkayam — Designer Jerusalem-born Art-de...
Oak
ELEMENTOS Stool Set in Sandblasted Pine with Black Finish by Daniel Couttolenc
Located in Geneve, CH
ELEMENTOS Stool Set in Sandblasted Pine with Black Finish by Daniel Couttolenc. Overall Dimensions: D 168 x W 168 x H 168 cm. Individual Dimensions: D 42 x W 42 x H 42 cm. Materials:...
Pine
ELEMENTOS Earth Stool Sandblasted Pine with Natural Finish by Daniel Couttolenc
Located in Geneve, CH
ELEMENTOS Earth Stool in Sandblasted Pine with Natural Finish by Daniel Couttolenc Dimensions: D 42 x W 42 x H 42 cm. Materials: Sandblasted Pine. Earth is firmness, stability—a for...
Pine
Pair of Postmodern Stools by Anna Casatelli Ferrieri for Kartell, Italy, 1980s
By Kartell, Anna Castelli Ferrieri
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
A Pair of MID-CENTURY-MODERN STOOL, in the style of MARCEL GASCOIN, France 1950
Located in PARIS, FR
An interesting pair (from a set of 4 pieces) Modern stools, Mid-Century-Modern, Modernist, Constructivist, Free Form, architectural "Compas" wood structures with slightly round and b...
Wood
ELEMENTOS Stool Set in Sandblasted Pine with Natural Finish by Daniel Couttolenc
Located in Geneve, CH
ELEMENTOS Stool Set in Sandblasted Pine with Natural Finish by Daniel Couttolenc. Overall Dimensions: D 168 x W 168 x H 168 cm. Individual Dimensions: D 42 x W 42 x H 42 cm. Material...
Pine
$1,416 / 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
$1,369 / item
HYA B Stool by Marioni
Located in Geneve, CH
HYA B Stool by Marioni Dimensions: D 41 x H 40 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Product code: 02204B Refined and distinctive glazed ceramic stool to be used as a seat, decorative object or ...
Ceramic
Vintage Memphis Style Hammered Metal Counter Stools Newly Upholstered - Set of 4
Located in Chicago, IL
Vintage Memphis Style Hammered Metal Counter Stools Newly Upholstered - Set of 4 Striking set of four Postmodern counter-height chairs featuring sculptural brushed metal frames and ...
Metal
$550 / 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: Cognac leather and black frame. A...
Metal
Set of 3 White Italian Modernist Tubular Steel Wire Counter Stools, Italy 1970s
Located in Brussels, Brussels
This elegant set of three Italian counter stools exemplifies the refined industrial language that emerged from Italian design during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Each stool is co...
Steel
Distine Texture Pagoda Stool in Oak Wood and Black Cushion by Heilig Objects
Located in Geneve, CH
Pagode Naguri Stool in Oak Wood And Melange Wool Fabric by Heilig Objects Dimensions: D 36 x W 36 x H 47 cm. Materials: Oak wood and wool fabric. Daniel Heilig. A young Hungarian-Ge...
Wool, Oak
Vintage Postmodern Memphis Style White Tubular Metal Swivel Bar Stools - a Pair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Please message us with your zip code to request a more reasonable domestic U.S. shipping quote. Vintage Postmodern Memphis Style White Tubular Metal Swivel Bar Stools by Cal-Style -...
Metal
Vintage chrome wire bar stools, 1980s - set of 4
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Vintage postmodern bar stools with a white metal frame and grey skai seats. 1980s - Italy Very good condition Dimensions: Height: 108cm Width x depth: 46cm Seat height: 78cm Ref...
Metal
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
Jeunesse Orange Stool by Secondome Edizioni and Studio F
Located in Geneve, CH
Jeunesse Orange Stool by Secondome Edizioni and Studio F Designer: Duccio Maria Gambi. Dimensions: D 41,5 x W 32 x H 43 cm. Materials: Solid woodworm maple wood. Collection / Produc...
Maple
$1,545 / 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
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
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
Carlo Bimbi and Nilo Gioacchini "Charlie" Barstools for Segis Italia, a Pair
By Carlo Bimbi and Nilo Gioacchini
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of Postmodern Memphis style barstools by Carlo Bimbi and Nilo Gioacchini for Segis Italia, circa 1980s. Chairs are made of white moulded plastic attached to a tubular chrome fra...
Chrome
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
Pumpkin Orange Double U Stool by Kazuko Okamoto
Located in Geneve, CH
Pumpkin Orange 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 suit...
Other
$5,150 / item
Layered Steel Seat V by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Layered steel seat V by Hyungshin Hwang Dimensions: D 33 x W 57 x H 75 cm Materials: stainless steel Layered Series is the main theme and concept of work of Hwang, who continues...
Stainless Steel
$3,066 / item
Seijaku Stool by Astrid Hauton
Located in Geneve, CH
Seijaku stool by Astrid Hauton Dimensions: H 39 x D 39 x H 40 cm Materials: woven washi paper, painted wood, waxed black Valchromat. « Seijaku », in Japanese, express the idea o...
Other
Postmodern Bar Stools, Model 4822 “Polo” by Anna Castelli Ferrieri for Kartell
By Kartell, Anna Castelli Ferrieri
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
$2,937 / 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
$2,973 / item
Leather Lune C Stool by DUISTT
Located in Geneve, CH
Leather Lune C Stool by DUISTT Dimensions: D 40 x H 45 cm Materials: Bronze and Snake Special Leather An optional wood tray can be added. Please contact us for any request. LUNE C ...
Bronze
$5,150 / item
Layered Steel Seat VII by Hyungshin Hwang
Located in Geneve, CH
Layered steel seat VII by Hyungshin Hwang Dimensions: D 33 x W 54 x H 66 cm Materials: stainless steel Layered Series is the main theme and concept of work of Hwang, who continu...
Stainless Steel
$4,892 / 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
$5,595 / item
Rose Thé Awaiting T Stool by Secondome Edizioni
Located in Geneve, CH
Rose Thé Awaiting T Stool by Secondome Edizioni Designer: Coralla Maiuri + Giorgia Zanellato. Dimensions: D 40 x W 49 x H 67 cm. Materials: Brass and velvet....
Brass
$3,347 / 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
$2,446 / item
Postmodern Stool by Dechem Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Postmodern stool by Dechem Studio. Dimensions: D 40 x H 45 cm. Materials: Corian. One of the few projects of DECHEM without glass, our Post M. Furniture collection was created i...
Corian
$5,652 / 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
$836 / 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
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
Contemporary Gold Arch Stool with Brass Finish by Pietro Franceschini
Located in Geneve, CH
Contemporary Gold Arch Stool with Brass Finish by Pietro Franceschini. Dimensions: W 54 x L 31.5 x H 43 cm. Materials: steel with brass finish. This listing features the Gold Arch S...
Brass, Steel
American post modern stool in aluminum by Philippe Starck for Emeco, 2000s
By Emeco, Philippe Starck
Located in MIlano, IT
American post modern stool in aluminum by Philippe Starck for Emeco, 2000s Bar stool made entirely of hand-brushed aluminum. It features a contoured seat. The legs are joined by a cu...
Aluminum
Matek Atom Stool in Recycled Composite by Project Materia
Located in Geneve, CH
Matek Atom Stool in Recycled Composite by Project Materia. Designed by Lea Colombo. Dimensions: W 45 x D 45 x H 45 cm. Materials: MATEK™ recycled composite. A sculptural seat balanc...
Composite
Postmodern Leather Bar Stools designed by Massimo Iosa Ghini for Poltrona Frau
By Poltrona Frau, Massimo Iosa Ghini
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find stunning postmodern swivel bar stools, model "Alo", designed by Massimo Iosa Ghini for Poltrona Frau. Each chair is stamped by the manufacturer beneath ...
Steel
Sarapis Bar Stools by Phillippe Starck for Driade
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1980s. France. Price is for the set. Contact us if you'd like to purchase a single item. Metal construction
Metal
Set of 3 Piton Stools by Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby for Knoll, Signed
By Knoll, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of three Piton stools designed by Edward Barber and Osgerby in 2013 and manufactured by Knoll. The stools are made in die cast steel with a wooden swivel seat. All of the t...
Steel
TEND Bar Stool in Boucle Fabric, Wood and Steel by CHRISTOPHE PERICHON
Located in Geneve, CH
TEND Bar Stool in Boucle Fabric, Wood and Steel by CHRISTOPHE PERICHON. Dimensions: W 40 x D 47 × H 95 cm. Materials: Pierre Frey water-repellent bouclé fabric, wood structure, and b...
Metal, Steel