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.
Tecton Stool in Travertine or Teak by Félix Millory for Monitillo 1980
Located in Geneve, CH
Tecton Stool in Travertine or Teak by Félix Millory for Monitillo 1980. Dimensions: W 45 x D 45 x H 44 cm. Materials: Travertine and Teak wood. This stool is available in a selectio...
Travertine
Italian 1970s Erasmo Sofa Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia Manner Living Room
Located in London, GB
This stunning and amazingly comfortable sofa in the manner of the iconic Erasmo sofa from Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia , is a beautiful example of 1970s Italian design. Curren...
Wood, Fabric
$2,920Sale Price|20% Off
Vico Magistretti Navy / Black 2-Seater Loveseat Maralunga Sofa Cassina Italy 80s
Located in Basel, BS
Original Loveseat sofa "Maralunga," designed by Vico Magistretti and manufactured by Cassina in Italy during the late circa late 1970s/1980s. This e...
Fabric
$5,483 / item
Light Brown Oak Eggwood Chair By OMER OZTURK
Located in Geneve, CH
Light Brown Oak Eggwood Chair By OMER OZTURK Dimensions: W 55.9 x D 56.9 x H 98 cm. Materials: Boucle Fabric, Light Brown Natural Oak Wood. About: Design, in particular the subtlety...
Oak
Mid-Century Italian Post Modern Sculptural Chaise Lounge in Art Deco Form
Located in Philadelphia, PA
An incredibly designed chaise lounge from Italy circa 1990's. It features quality construction with a stacked art deco form.
Fabric
$1,580Sale Price|20% Off
1970s Vintage Mid Century Modern Hand Lounge Chair, in White-- One Piece
Located in Madison, WI
Excellent Prop piece, or a Living Room, studio or office POP! This listing is for the White chair. We also have a Black chair, sold separately, pictured here. The RMIC hand chair made its first appearance around the year 1970. The spectacular chair is made of plastic and shaped like a giant hand with its palm turned upward, while the fingers serve as a backrest. Originally, the hand chair was designed in 1962 by Pedro Friedeberg, a then 24 years old surrealist artist. Friedeberg artistic sensibilities were decisively directed against everything conventional, and he was inspired by the Dadaistic practice of producing anti-art for art's sake. This White Hand Chair features the cup holder. Dimensions 27ʺW × 21ʺD × 34ʺH Seat Interior Width: 21" Seat Interior Depth: 21" Seat Height: 18" Arm Height: 20" Shipping: We ship insured and to your door, using blanket...
Plastic
$3,000 / set
1980s, Postmodern Arc Side Lounge Chairs, Pair
Located in Chicago, IL
What fun lines. The arc, the button tufting, the extra wide seat…so love these chairs. In original upholstery (no tears or stains). I could see this casually in a game room or in a b...
Fabric, Upholstery
$1,424 / item
Single Block Wood Batan Stool by Taller Batán
Located in Geneve, CH
Single Block Wood Batan Stool by Taller Batán Dimensions: W 30 x D 30 x H 40 cm Materials: Single block wood. Finishes: White cedar, blackened cedar (yakisugi), encino (mexican oak...
Wood
1980s Post-Modern Memphis Style Chairs, 3 Pairs Available
Located in Miami, FL
1980s Post-Modern Memphis Style chairs- 3 Pairs available Offered for sale is a pair of 1980s Post-Modern Memphis Style accent chairs with bent...
Metal
$1,500 / item
Brayton International Mohair Club Chairs, 1999
Located in Chicago, IL
Brayton International Mohair Pair Club Chairs, 1999. Mohair with leather piping. There are 4 chairs available, priced individually. Measure 30.75” tall 37.5” wide 30.5” deep, seat ...
Leather, Mohair
$2,880Sale Price|20% Off
Post modern Italian black leather sofa in the style of Nicoletti Salotti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage Italian black leather 3 seat long sofa in the manner of Nicoletti Salotti. Very clean sofa high quality leather and very comfortable modern design. Located in Brooklyn NYC 11...
Leather
Newly Upholstered Ligne Roset 3-Seater TOGO by Michel Ducaroy
By Ligne Roset, Michel Ducaroy
Located in Toronto, CA
A vintage standout with unmistakable charm, this three-seater Togo sofa by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset brings a softer, more romantic twist to the iconic form. Newly upholstered i...
Fabric, Foam
$2,144Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary Ava Armchair in Wood by Guto Indio da Costa, Brazil
Located in Deerfield Beach, FL
Contemporary Wood Ava Armchair by Guto Indio da Costa, Brazil The AVA armchair is part of the collection Machina & Manus by the Brazilian designer...
Wood
$807Sale Price / set|20% Off
Black postmodern dining chairs by Arper italy, 1980s - set of 4
By Arper
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Set of 4 black leather and metal postmodern dining chairs by Arper italy. Timeless post modern italian design. Very good condition. 1980s - Italy Dimensions: Height: 87cm Width: ...
Metal
$960Sale Price / set|20% Off
1980s Post-Modern Bar Stools by Giandomenico Belotti, White Metal
By Giandomenico Belotti, Fly Line
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of Post modern bar stools in white enameled metal with spaghetti corded seats designed by Giandomenico Belotti for fly line. good condition. Located in Brooklyn NYC Dimensions...
Steel
$71,812 / item
Rive Droite Sculptural Sofa by Tam Sachs
Located in Geneve, CH
Rive Droite Sculptural Sofa by Tam Sachs Numbered edition Dimensions: W 300 x D 120 x H 85 cm Materials: Stoneware Available in different colors and sizes, please contact us. It's ...
Stone, Other
Michael Wolk Miami Swivel Lounge Chairs for Directional in Ivory Boucle, a Pair
By Michael Wolk
Located in Culver City, CA
A sculptural pair of Michael Wolk “Miami” swivel lounge chairs, freshly reupholstered in a dreamy ivory bouclé that somehow manages to feel both cloud-soft and architecturally seriou...
Bouclé
Vivai Del Sud Superstar Lounge Chair in Olive Green Fabric
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Vivai Del Sud, 'Superstar' lounge chair, fabric, Italy, 1970s A splendid design by Vivai del Sud, known as the Superstar, is distinguished by its organic layout and substantial size...
Fabric
Vintage Puzzle Chairs, Birch Plywood by David Kawecki, Postmodern, 1990s
Located in San Antonio, TX
Two vintage sculptural David Kawecki puzzle chairs made of birch plywood, circa 1990s. 30" x 24" x 32" x 18.5 "David Kawecki is a designer who c...
Plywood
$2,279Sale Price / set|20% Off
Postmodern Design "SANDOWS" Chairs by Rene Herbst
By René Herbst, Ecart International
Located in Oud-Turnhout, VAN
Vintage Postmodern Modernism Design "SANDOWS" Cord Chairs by Rene Herbst for Ecart International. Made in France in the 1980's period. These are classic modernist 1930's German Bauha...
Steel
Luciano Frigerio 'Norman' 3 Seat Sofa in Custom Missoni Upholstery, Italy, 1970s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Matching Loveseat available, sold separately. Custom designed by Luciano Frigerio in the 1970s for the Missoni family, the 'Norman' sofa is a rare example of Italian craft meeting fa...
Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer
1990s Postmodern Folding Chair in the Rodney Kinsman'd Style
Located in Miami, FL
1990s Postmodern Folding Accent Chair in the Rodney Kinsman'd Style. Features a Memphis Group inspired design with a bent chromed frame with what seems to be faux leather seat and b...
Chrome
Mario Botta, 4 'Seconda' Black Metal Chairs, Alias Mod. 602, 1980s
By Mario Botta
Located in Argelato, BO
Three 'Seconda' chairs designed by the famous architect Mario Botta for the Italian firm Alias, model 602. All 4 are painted black both in the structure and in the seat, they bear ...
Steel
$1,661Sale Price / set|20% Off
Vintage dining chairs by Pietro costantini, 1980s, set of 6
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Very chic italian high back dining chairs designed by Pietro Costantini. Elegant curved lacquered wood backrests and upholstered with black leather. Stamped under thea seat with '...
Leather, Lacquer
$3,850 / item
Scandinavian Organic Shaped Stool in Elm
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Stool, elm, Scandinavia, 1970s This lovely stool reflects the organic and tactile design language of 1970s Scandinavia. Crafted in solid elm, it features a uniquely contoured seat t...
Elm
$7,120Sale Price|20% Off
Vladimir Kagan Papa Bear Wingback Swivel Chair, in Boucle, Directional, 1990's
Located in Culver City, CA
Vladimir Kagan for Directional “Papa Bear", Wingback Swivel Lounge Circa 1990s There are chairs… and then there are Kagan's. This iconic “Papa Bear Chair” wingback lounge chair, de...
Bouclé
Memphis Style Vintage Pop Art Armchairs Rud Thygesen Johnny Sorensen, circa 1989
By Rud Thygesen and Johnny Sorensen
Located in Vienna, AT
Memphis style vintage pair of red, blue and yellow colored dining chairs great to stack model Dark Horse, designed by Rud Thygesen and Johnny Sorensen circa 1989 and executed by Boti...
Steel
GUBI Daumiller Side Chair Golden Pine by Rainer Daumiller
By Rainer Daumiller, Gubi
Located in New York, NY
The Daumiller Side Chair shares a design language with the iconic Daumiller Armchair - elegant yet robust, with a reassuringly solid form and a gracefully curved backrest. True to Ra...
Wood, Pine, Rush
$822Sale Price / set|30% Off
2 Rodney Kinsman for Bieffeplast Italian Postmodern Tokyo Bar Counter Stools 35"
By Rodney Kinsman, Bieffeplast
Located in Dayton, OH
Pair of circa 1980's Italian postmodern Bauhaus style "Tokyo" chairs / counter bar stools, designed by Rodney Kinsman for Bieffeplast of Padova, Italy. Gray metal tubular frame with ...
Metal
Gravity Balans Reclining Chair in tope by Peter Opsvik for Varier, Norway 1980s
By Peter Opsvik
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find am exceptionally rare "Gravity Balans" chair design by Peter Opsvik for Varier. This iconic piece features futuristic design easily recognized, it is ex...
Fabric, Wood
$6,400Sale Price|50% Off
Custom George Smith 2000s Black Tufted Leather Sofa
By George Smith
Located in New York, NY
An original custom made soft mottled black leather tufted with brass tacks and mahogany wood legs by famed bespoke British furniture maker, George Smith. Original label. Excellent co...
Leather, Hardwood
$1,448 / item
Postmodern Space Age Pink Velvet Dining Chair Coraje
By Moanne
Located in Almería, ES
The Coraje Dining Chair is a tribute to bravery—an invitation to live and design boldly. With its sculptural base and commanding presence, it doesn’t just complete a space, it anchor...
Velvet
Post Modern Italian Lacquered Set of Four Dining Chairs
By Saporiti
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Set of 4 Postmodern lacquered white dining room chairs. Marked made in Italy, in the style of Saporiti. Minor blemishes to the lacquer is at a...
Naugahyde, Hardwood
Post-Modern Sofa by Raphael Raffel, Cowhide, France, Circa 1970
Located in TOURS, FR
Raphael Raffel sofa, France, 1970's
Cowhide
Post-Modern LIBRA Dining Chairs by Christian Werner for Ligne Roset, France 1990
By Ligne Roset
Located in Wien, AT
Postmodern Design LIBRA model Dining Chair set of 6 by Christian Werner for Ligne Roset. Made in France, 1990. Marked on each chair with Ligne Roset Label. Beech wood base with woven...
Aluminum
$1,044Sale Price / set|20% Off
Postmodern Design Leather Dining Chairs, Italy 1980's
Located in Oud-Turnhout, VAN
Vintage Postmodern Design Leather Dining Chair set of 4. Made in Italy, 1980's. Grey leather seat on black gloss lacquered wood bend base. In the style of Afra and Tobia Scarpa desig...
Leather, Wood
Set of 4 Postmodern Dining Chairs, 1980s
Located in DE KWAKEL, NL
This eye-catching set of four dining chairs from the 1980s captures the bold spirit of postmodern design. Featuring a vivid red circular seat and sculptural black tubular frame, the ...
Metal
Percival Lafer “MP-41” Armchair for Lafer MP, Black Leather, 1972
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Percival Lafer “MP-41” Armchair for Lafer MP, wood and black leather, Brazil, 1972 The “MP-41” armchair by Percival Lafer embraces fluidity with a structure that appears weightless ...
Leather, Wood
Cofemo Italy leather office chair 80s
By Cofemo
Located in Ludwigslust, DE
Very futuristic, elegant looking office chair made of thick saddle leather in very good condition. The black leather only shows slight signs of wear on the armrests. The leather is s...
Leather
Vladimir Kagan Zoe Sofa for American Leather in Curly Teddy Bear Camel Fabric
By Vladimir Kagan, American Leather
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Everyone needs a teddy bear and yours can be this chic Vladimir Kagan Zoe sofa newly upholstered in soft curly camel teddy bear fabric. Modern. In your face ...
Upholstery
Set 6 Mid Century Italian Post Modern by Cattelan Italia in White circa 1990's
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A sleek post modern set of six dining chairs by Cattelan Italia circa 1990's. They feature beautifully stitched white faux leather. Very clean and ready to use.
Faux Leather
Frank Gehry Knoll Int. Dinette Featuring 2 Cross Check Chairs and Dining Table
By Frank Gehry
Located in Highclere, Newbury
A Frank Gehry compact dining set featuring 2 bentwood maple ply Cross Check chairs matched to a maple and glass Face Off dining table manufactured by Knoll International. Originally designed in the late 80’s Gehry’s Cross Check chairs...
Glass, Beech
Pop Surrealist Monumental Purple Leather Hand Chair
Located in Lake Worth, FL
Monumental purple leather pop surrealist hand chair. Rare piece that was purchased from a Palm Beach estate whom had brought it here from France. Good vintage condition with some co...
Leather
Robert Thibier Four Seat Sofa with Gold Painted Metal Frame
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Robert Thibier four seat sofa, gold painted steel, fabric, France, 1960s/1970s This exceptional four-seat sofa by Robert Thibier is a rare example of French design from the 1960s an...
Steel
Ettore Sottsass Flying Carpet Armchair by Bedding Brevetti 1970s Italy
Located in Cascina, Pisa
The Flying Carpet or Tappeto Volante armchair is an iconic seat with a base and an armrest in beech wood, the seat, and the back are made with polyuret...
Fabric, Wood, Velvet
Vladimir Kagan Sofa for Preview
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1980s in excellent, restored condition. This piece has been reupholstered in Maharam “Hearth”
Fabric
Contemporary Chair in Hand-Hammered Iron and Uhpolstered by Juliana Vasconcellos
Located in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais
In the Confetti chairs, we were inspired by the circular shape of the confetti, playing with the backrest, exploring different colors and combinations. ...
Iron
Vladimir Kagan Post Modern Marilyn Sofa in Ivory White Bouclé
By Directional, Vladimir Kagan
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Post modern Vladimir Kagan Marilyn Sofa by Directional for Vladimir Kagan in new ivory white bouclé upholstery. Whimsical and happy, Kagan's Marilyn line...
Bouclé, Upholstery
Weiman Furniture Serpentine Sofa
By Weiman
Located in Houston, TX
Weiman Furniture Company Serpentine Sofa. Offered is a stunning curvaceous sofa by Weiman Furniture Company in the 1980's. We offer this gorgeous sofa in the original fabric but coul...
Fabric, Wood
Custom Scalloped Tuxedo Sofa in Olive Green Pierre Frey Fabric, 1990
Located in Hudson, NY
A luxurious custom scalloped tuxedo sofa in olive green. Seat back is diamond tufted with a scalloped crest rail. New upholstery invokes a seventies feel with Pierre Frey's Yeti fabr...
Wool, Alpaca, Mohair, Wood
Jumpsuite Natural Leather Chair by Morica Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Jumpsuite Natural Leather Chair by Morica Design Dimensions: D 47 x W 52 x H 80 cm. Materials: Anthracite leather, metal. Available in Anthracite, Cognac, or Natural leather options...
Metal
$4,550Sale Price|30% Off
Alberto Rosselli Saporiti Italia Post Modern Confidential Lounge Sofa Couch MCM
Located in Dayton, OH
Iconic Fratelli Saporiti Italian Confidential lounge, library or club sofa / couch by Alberto Rosselli, circa 1970s. One of the first modular club chairs with a puzzle like cushion c...
Cotton
$2,396Sale Price|20% Off
Toshiyuki Kita ‘Wink’—Articulating Lounge Chair for Cassina, 1981
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An exciting and ambition postmodern seating deign, ‘Wink’ chair by Toshiyuki Kita is a completely novel approach to chair design. Exploring anatomic...
Steel
Maitland Smith Tesselleted Stone And Brass Chaise Longue
By Robert Marcius, Maitland Smith, Casa Bique, Karl Springer, Enrique Garcel
Located in Houston, TX
Maitland Smith Tessellated Stone And Brass Chaise Longue. Offered is an outstanding two part chaise longue created by Maitland Smith in the 1980's of tessellated marble and brass. Th...
Marble, Brass
$944Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage Anton Lorenz for Thonet "Ss33" Armchair in White + Chrome
By Thonet, Anton Lorenz
Located in Basel, BS
Stunning Anton Lorenz for Thonet Cantilevered Armchair in white. This is the Perfect opportunity to purchase just one as an accent chair! Anton Lorenz (1891–1966) was a design pio...
Chrome
Memphis Sculptural in Pink Velvet & Red Legs Dining Chair Vértigo
By Moanne
Located in Almería, ES
The Vértigo Dining Chair captures the tension between chaos and control. With its sharp silhouette and solid wood frame, it brings graphic structure to the room—an anchor in spaces t...
Velvet, Wood, Lacquer
Efebo Stacking Stool by Stacy Dukes for Artemide, Italy post modern, 4 avail
By Stacy Dukes, Artemide
Located in Chicago, IL
Efebo Seats designed by Stacy Duke for Artemide. Italy, 1960's Golden plastic. Priced individually. Four available. These sculptural white molded plastic stools were designed as c...
Plastic
Monumental Post Modern Pair of Weiman Lounge Chairs in Marmalade Orange Fabric
By Weiman
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Incredibly sculptural monumental size Post Modern Pair of Lounge Chairs by Weiman in new super soft Marmalade Orange upholstery. Two ...
Fabric, Upholstery
"Soriana" Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy 1969
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Cassina
Located in Utrecht, NL
The iconic “Soriana” three-seater sofa was designed by the Italian designer duo, Afra and Tobia Scarpa in 1969. Besides its innovative manufacturing, visually, Soriana brings sophist...
Metal
$1,050Sale Price|30% Off
Maurizio Peregalli Modernist Bench for Zues, Italy 1980s
Located in Miami, FL
Modernist black lacquered steel and rubber bench by Maurizio Peregalli for Zeus, Italy. 1980s. Additional dimensions: Width 47” Depth 16-3/8” Height 16” Seat height (highest part o...
Steel