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.
Private re-edition for PRADA of iconic 1960s Inflatable Stool by Verner Panton
By Verpan, Verner Panton, Prada
Located in Renens, CH
Private re-edition for PRADA of the iconic 1960s Inflatable Stool designed by Verner Panton. Exclusively produced by Verpan for the Spring/Summer PRADA Men’s fashion show, held in Mi...
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
$3,895 / item
Mangala Stool in Natural Oak Veneer by Pendhapa
Located in Geneve, CH
Mangala Stool in Natural Oak Veneer by Pendhapa. Dimensions: Ø 40 x H 45 cm. Materials: Natural Oak Veneer, fabric. This listing features our Mangala Stool in its 45 cm height confi...
Oak
Soma Bar Stool in White Pigmented Lacquered Oak by Kasper Nyman
Located in Geneve, CH
Soma Bar Stool in White Pigmented Lacquered Oak by Kasper Nyman. Materials: Solid oak, Plywood with oak veneer. Dimensions: D 49.5 x W 47.5 x H 101 cm. This listing features the Som...
Oak, Plywood, Wood, Hardwood, Lacquer
Soma Counter Chair in White Pigmented Lacquered Oak by Kasper Nyman
Located in Geneve, CH
Soma Counter Chair in White Pigmented Lacquered Oak by Kasper Nyman. Materials: Solid oak, Plywood with oak veneer. Dimensions: D 49.5 x W 47.5 x H 91 cm. This listing features the ...
Plywood, Wood, Hardwood, Oak, Lacquer
Post-Modern Solid Pine Stool by E.R.A. Herbstb, Germany, 1980s Design
Located in Den Haag, NL
Very nice Post Modern solid Oak stool . Manufactured by E.R.A. Herbstb 1980s Germany .
Pine
Three Postmodern Memphis Style Bar Stools, Italy, 1980s
Located in Miami, FL
Three bar height Italian Postmodern bar chairs inspired by Memphis Milano. Made of black lacquered steel with black moulded rubber seats and backs.
Steel
Stool and light Elephant -Dutch Design Richard Hutten for Gispen- 2008
By Gispen, Richard Hutten
Located in The Hague, NL
The Low-res Elephant is both a stool, a lamp and a playful decoration object at the same time. Designed by Richard Hutten in 2008 for the renowned Dutch manufacturer Gispen in the Ne...
Acrylic
Pair of Enrique Garcel Bone-Clad Stools or Benches, Karl Springer Style, 1980s
By Karl Springer, Enrique Garcel
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Stylish pair of Enrique Garcel tessellated bone benches. Use them in the living room, or a bedroom. Separate them and use one in a foyer and another in the ...
Bone, Fabric, Resin
$1,600 / set
Minimal Leather Chrome Cantilever Bar Stools
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of sleek, minimal, post-modern bar stools feature flat bar chrome, cantilever bases with cream leather upholstery.
Chrome
Orbis Stool & Side Table II in Marble with Reflected Core by Homa
Located in Geneve, CH
Orbis Stool & Side Table II in Marble with Reflected Core by Homa Dimensions: W 40 x D 40 x H 50 cm Materials: Warm Brown Marble and Amber Onyx HOMA is a contemporary design atelie...
Onyx, Marble
Asthila Stool in Solid Ash Wood with Lacquer by Pendhapa
Located in Geneve, CH
Asthila Stool in Solid Ash Wood with Lacquer by Pendhapa. Dimensions: W 49 x D 44 x H 44 cm. Materials: Solid ash wood, Lacquer. This listing features our Asthila Stool in solid ash...
Wood, Hardwood, Ash, Lacquer
Set of Three 1980s Postmodern "Alice" Bar Stools by Claudio Nardi for Zeus
Located in Sacramento, CA
Set of three 1980s postmodern bar stools manufactured by Zeus Noto in Italy and designed by Claudio Nardi. The stools have gray powder-coated steel bases and black molded polyurethan...
Steel
$2,667 / item
Coleman Counter Stool by Munna
Located in Geneve, CH
Coleman Counter Stool by Munna Dimensions: D 54 x W 44 x H 95 cm. SH: 70 cm. Materials: Solid wood, foam, brass, and upholstery. Finish: Upholstery: Vivid Chenille, ref. Moss, VIC13....
Brass
$800Sale Price|27% Off
Stool ASHIGARU-4 by POPCORN
By POPCORN
Located in 加須市, 11
Stools, display stands, and interior design elements ASHIGARU means "a common foot soldier" in Japanese, so named because it looks like a common foot soldier. It weighs 13 kg.
Steel
$19,477 / item
Coral Cream Wave Ceramic Chair by Forma Rosa Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Coral Cream 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 ...
Ceramic
“Florada” Stool in Wool and Wood by Inês Schertel, Brazil, 2021
Located in Deerfield Beach, FL
“Florada” Stool in Wool and Wood by Inês Schertel, Brazil, 2021 Ines Schertel's primary material is sheep's wool. As a practitioner of Slow Design, the artist takes a holistic appro...
Wool, Wood
$880Sale Price|20% Off
Stool ASHIGARU-8 by POPCORN
By POPCORN
Located in 加須市, 11
Stools, display stands, and interior design elements ASHIGARU means "a common foot soldier" in Japanese, so named because it looks like a common foot soldier. It weighs 13 kg.
Steel
$4,828 / item
Terrazzo Rainbow Stool by Lilia Cruz Corona Garduño
Located in Geneve, CH
Terrazo rainbow stool by Lilia Cruz Corona Garduño. Hapiness Series Dimensions: W 19.7" x D 12" x H 17" Materials: Terrazzo (Pigmented concrete and gr...
Concrete
Set Of 5 Sissi Stackable Totem Seats in Powder-Coated Aluminum by altreforme
Located in Geneve, CH
Set Of 5 Sissi Stackable Totem Seats in Powder-Coated Aluminum by altreforme Limited Edition Dimensions: D 45 x W 45 x H 45 cm. Materials: Powder-coated aluminum. Totem or piece of ...
Aluminum
$554 / 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: Grass green leather and black fram...
Metal
Set of 2 Medium Pausa Oak Stool by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 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 se...
Oak
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
Set of Three Thick Orange & Clear Acrylic Counter Height Bar Stools
Located in North Miami, FL
These extremely FUN orange acrylic top bar stools with clear acrylic base and steel footrest, are counter height or can be used for extra seating at a dining table as well. Comforta...
Acrylic
Sissi Stackable Totem Seat in Powder-Coated Aluminum by altreforme
Located in Geneve, CH
Sissi Stackable Totem Seat in Powder-Coated Aluminum by altreforme Limited Edition Dimensions: D 45 x W 45 x H 45 cm. Materials: Powder-coated aluminum. Totem or piece of furniture?...
Aluminum
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
A Pair of MID-CENTURY-MODERN Hand Crafted BRUTALIST Tripod STOOLS, France 1950
By Jean Touret, Charlotte Perriand, Atelier Marolles
Located in PARIS, FR
A Pair of Miniature Tripod Stools – French Modernism, circa 1950 A Pair of tripod stool, Modernist, Brutalist, Rustic-Modern, Forme-Libre, massive circular hand sculpted massive elm...
Wood, Elm
Marlene Stool in Epoxy Resin & Leather Fragments by WeDO
Located in Geneve, CH
Marlene Stool in Epoxy Resin & Leather Fragments by WeDO Dimensions: D 43 x W 45 x H 45 cm. Materials: Epoxy resin and leather. Customizations are available upon request. Prices ma...
Leather, Epoxy Resin
$7,136 / item
Cyber Stool in Powder-Coated Aluminum by altreforme
Located in Geneve, CH
Cyber Stool in Powder-Coated Aluminum by altreforme Dimensions: D 43 x W 40 x H 85 cm. SH: 47 cm. Materials: Powder-coated aluminum. The space routes of the Apollo 11 are all enclos...
Aluminum
Pair of Postmodern Bar Stools by Indecasa designed by Joan Casas, Spain 1980s
By Indecasa
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a pair of minimalist postmodern Bar Stools designed by Joan Casas for Indecasa. They feature walnut plywood seats attached to aluminum stands. Made in S...
Aluminum
$1,547 / item
Object 01 Noir Seating by Volta
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 01 noir 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
$3,246 / item
Gaia Black Stool by KV Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Gaia Black Stool by KV Design Dimensions: D 45 x W 45 x H 45 cm. Materials: Ash Wood, Stainless Steel. Limited Edition of 12. KV Design is a team of professionals, and we believe th...
Stainless Steel
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
Porcelain and Oak Stool, Judith van den Boom, Netherlands, 2012
Located in Regensburg, DE
Stool Porcelain by Studio Boom Wehmeyer, 2012. Artist: Judith van den Boom (Dutch, b. 1977) Unique Work from the series ‚Vitrified Variables‘. Porcelain, moulded and glazed, oak. Di...
Porcelain, Oak
Pair of Bar Stools "Dania" in green leather by Salvati & Tresoldi for Saporiti
By Saporiti, Salvati & Tresoldi
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a pair of striking swivel Postmodern Bar Stools designed by Salvati & Tresoldi for Saporiti Italia. They feature a leather upholstered in forest gre...
Stainless Steel
$1,038 / item
White Stool 01 by Iranzo
Located in Geneve, CH
White Stool 01 by Iranzo Dimensions: D 68 x H 48 cm. Material: Epoxy resin & polypropylene Also available in: Black - at the same price Light pink / Blue / Pastel green / Signa...
Epoxy Resin
Postmodern Prototype Stool by Isabelle Moore, 1995
Located in Surbiton, GB
Prototype barstool made by the artist and furniture maker Isabelle Moore in 1995 at Parnham College. Composed from maple, suede and painted MDF. Isabelle Moore creates unique furni...
Suede, Wood, Maple
$861 / 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
$8,711 / item
Tripot Bench by Arturo Verástegui
Located in Geneve, CH
Tripot bench by Arturo Verástegui Dimensions: D 35 x W 110 x H 45 cm Materials: walnut wood. Double bench made of walnut. Arturo Verástegui has been the director and founder ...
Walnut
$2,963 / 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
$3,249 / item
Gaia Natural Oak Stool by KV Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Gaia Natural Oak Stool by KV Design Dimensions: D 45 x W 45 x H 45 cm. Materials: Mulberry Wood, Epoxy Resin, Metal. Limited Edition of 12. KV Design is a team of professionals, an...
Stainless Steel
$5,411 / item
Object 05 Green Seating by Volta
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 05 Green Seating by Volta One Of A Kind. Dimensions: D 40,5 x W 40,5 x H 47 cm. Materials: Cork and ceramic. Also available in diffentent colors. Please contact us. MEÏ COLL...
Ceramic, Cork
$1,298 / item
Arc de Stool 37 in Natural Walnut by Project 213A
Located in Geneve, CH
Arc de stool 37 in natural walnut by Project 213A Dimensions: D 33 x W 33 x H 37 cm Materials: Walnut wood. The smaller version of the stool's legs curves inwards towards its t...
Walnut
$7,040Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary "Bullet Proof" Bench by Brazilian designer Alê Jordão, Brazil 2017
By Alê Jordão
Located in Deerfield Beach, FL
The 2017 "Bullet Proof" Bench by the contemporary Brazilian designer Alê Jordão is structured in welded steel and armoured glass, featuring the unique shots...
Steel
$5,068 / item
Wave Stool & Side Table I by Homa
Located in Geneve, CH
Wave Stool & Side Table I by Homa. Dimensions: W 30 x D 23 x H 40 cm . Materials: Blown Glass. Colour: Brown. Formed through an experimental glassblowing process, each Wave Stool/S...
Blown Glass
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
Contemporary Black Arch Stool in Steel by Pietro Franceschini
Located in Geneve, CH
Contemporary Black Arch Stool in Steel by Pietro Franceschini. Dimensions: W 54 x L 31.5 x H 43 cm. Materials: black painted steel. This listing features the Black Arch Stool in its...
Steel
Contemporary Nabuck Arch Stool in Steel and Leather by Pietro Franceschini
Located in Geneve, CH
Contemporary Nabuck Arch Stool in Steel and Leather by Pietro Franceschini. Dimensions: W 54 x L 31.5 x H 43 cm. Materials: Steel and Leather. This listing features the Nabuck Arch ...
Steel
$8,912 / item
Torii Oak and Rattan Stool by Luis Gimeno
Located in Geneve, CH
Torii Oak and Rattan Stool by Luis Gimeno Dimensions: D 35 x W 40 x H 45 cm Materials: Oak, rattan. Available in Red or Black. Please contact us. For this stool, I have been inspir...
Oak, Rattan
Barrel Chair Counter Stools Post Modern Preview, 1990
$1,722 / item
Black Tooth Chair by Dongwook Choi
Located in Geneve, CH
Black 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
$5,323 / item
Wave Stool & Side Table VIII by Homa
Located in Geneve, CH
Wave Stool & Side Table VIII by Homa. Dimensions: D 25 x H 54 cm. Materials: Blown Glass, Smoke Mirror. Colour: Smoke. Formed through an experimental glassblowing process, each Wave...
Blown Glass, Mirror
Bellissimo Low Stool in Travertine by Pietro Franceschini
Located in Geneve, CH
Bellissimo Low Stool in Travertine by Pietro Franceschini. Dimensions: Ø 44 x H 43.5 cm Materials: Travertine. This listing features the Bellissimo Low Stool in its travertine versi...
Travertine
$9,538 / item
LV Stool in Aluminum by Pietro Franceschini
Located in Geneve, CH
LV Stool in Aluminum by Pietro Franceschini. Dimensions: W 45 x D 45 x H 45 cm. Materials: Aluminum, Fur. The LV edition is made of a chair, a stool, a lounge chair, a bench, and an...
Aluminum
Happens Stool in Oak Wood And Red Melange Wool Fabric by Heilig Objects
Located in Geneve, CH
Happens Stool in Oak Wood And Red Melange Wool Fabric by Heilig Objects Dimensions: D 29 x W 29 x H 49 cm. Materials: Oak wood and wool fabric. Daniel Heilig. A young Hungarian-Germ...
Fabric, Oak
Swedish Designer, Stool, Pine, Sweden, 1970s
Located in High Point, NC
A pine stool designed and produced in Sweden, 1970s.
Pine
Swedish Designer, Stool, Pine, Sweden, 1970s
Located in High Point, NC
A pine stool designed and produced in Sweden, 1970s.
Pine
$7,271 / item
White Magic Stool by Lucile Gracile
Located in Geneve, CH
White Magic Stool by Lucile Gracile Dimensions: D 65 x W 48 x H 35 cm Materials: Glazed ceramic, platinum. Born in 1988, lives and works in Paris. Ceramic artist using traditional ...
Platinum
Post Modern High Arm Bench by Directional, 1970
By Directional
Located in Chicago, IL
Post Modern high arm bench by Directional, 1970. Original upholstery.
Upholstery
Contemporary Red Bean Lacquer Low Empire Drumstool by Robert Kuo
By Robert Kuo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Low Empire drumstool Red Bean Lacquer Hand Repoussé Limited Edition Each piece is individually crafted and is unique. Lacquer is a technique that dates back to the Shang dyna...
Lacquer