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.
John Hutton for Donghia Black Center Table
Located in Houston, TX
John Hutton for Donghia black center table composed of wood finished in high-gloss enamel, tapered square legs, metal casters and a single drawer. Two available, sold individually.
Enamel
Italian Modern Bronze Octopus Center Table
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Modern Bronze Octopus Center Table. This stunning Italian sculptural bronze table in the shape of an octopus is expertly detailed and comes with a 59 inch glass top. This v...
Bronze
Anthony Redmile Bespoke Octagonal Pedestal Table, London 1970s
Located in Houston, TX
1970s Octagonal pedestal table produced by the London workshop of Anthony Redmile. The top is a hand-painted faux-malachite surface and edged with c...
Malachite, Metal
Set of 2 Andrea and Luca Coffee Table by Umberto Bellardi Ricci
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Andrea and Luca coffee table by Umberto Bellardi Ricci Dimensions: Andrea: D 94 x W 71 x H 28 cm. Luca: D 140 x W 86.5 x H 34.29 cm. Materials: Travertine, bronze legs. Umb...
Travertine, Bronze
$12,861 / item
Luca Coffee Table Large by Umberto Bellardi Ricci
Located in Geneve, CH
Luca coffee table large by Umberto Bellardi Ricci Dimensions: D 139.7 x W 86.36 x H 34.29 cm. Materials: Travertine, bronze legs. Umberto Bellardi R...
Travertine, Bronze
$26,181 / item
Flake Round Center Table by Barberini & Gunnell
Located in Geneve, CH
Flake Round Center Table by Barberini & Gunnell Limited Edition of 45 Dimensions: D 112 x H 74 cm. Materials: Carrara marble, mirror polished stainless ste...
Marble, Stainless Steel
XL Lucite Glass Chrome Round Dining Table Retro Space Age Postmodern Dumond 1970
Located in London, GB
A very large custom-made circular dining table (or commercial display centre table), in the manner of Jacques Dumond. The base is formed by Y-shaped thick lucite panels and chrome fi...
Steel, Chrome
Fontana Arte Style Pedestal Table with Sunburst Wood Top & Chrome & Marble Base
By Fontana Arte
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful marble pedestal table with massive sunburst patterned table top, a fat chrome post and a thick white marble base. The top, not original to the table, was found in a Dutch e...
Marble, Chrome
Knoll International Round Pedestal Dining Table in Ebony Finish, 2021
By Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A beautifully proportioned round pedestal dining or center table designed and manufactured by Knoll International in the United States in 2021. Executed in solid hardwood and fine w...
Wood
$2,200
Blocks Coffee Table
Located in Mérida, MX
The Blocks coffee table was inspired by the construction context in Mexico, a reinterpretation of an authentic multitask table by mexican workers: cast blocks and a multi-material top. These pieces are hand carved by artisans from the region in mexican stones...
Stone
Attila Coffee or Low Centre Table by Jean-Michel Wilmotte
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Attila table by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Interesting proportions. Tall coffee table or low centre table. Referenced and documented.
Steel
Post Modern Italian Marble Center Table
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Up & Up, Mario Bellini
Located in Houston, TX
Post Modern Italian Marble Center Table. This large Italian Mario Bellini style (51 inch) marble table can be used as a center table or din...
Marble
$9,554 / item
Ttttable by Mob
Located in Geneve, CH
TTTTable by MOB Designer: BAST (France) Dimensions: H 72 x D 110 x W 300 cm Material: 2mm steel sheet, 2mm aluminium sheet, 10mm steel bar, blue medium glossy painting. The board of a table is much more than a mere support: it is a line that divides two worlds. On its upper part certain codes are maintained, there are prescribed ways and conventions. Above that level reigns the protocol, the scopic, the customs and courtesies. Everything changes under the table. There appear the flirtations, the furtive gestures, the hidden. In this invisible field dominate the unseen signals and the secret codes, the tactile ones. Also the pets rest covered by an architecture to their measure and, inadvertently, doze. Under that plane, the feet are confused and mixed in a small choreography, where the human and artificial legs...
Aluminum, Steel
Karl Springer Goatskin Dining Table With Custom Chrome Drum Base
Located in Culver City, CA
This dining table is simply stunning. A goatskin dining table designed by Karl Springer from the 1980s features a creamy goatskin top with hides that are both tan and nude in color with slight color variations in the hides that only come with real goatskin pieces. This large goatskin top rests on a circular chrome drum base that is a custom base for the table. This stunning table came out of a prominent home in Century City and the provenance is available upon request. The dining table top still has the original Karl Springer paper label which was included in the original wrapping of the piece / order tag, which has been affixed to the bottom by the original owner for provenance. This wrapping tag has significantly faded with time, but you can still make out the name Karl Springer at the top (especially if you snap a photo and bump up the contrast). This dining table, as photographed, looks incredible with the Guido Faleschini for Pace Collection dining chairs -- which is the exact combination the family had been using since the 1980's. With the striking chrome base, this dining table would look great with Milo Baughman thinline...
Chrome
Contemporary High Polished Bronze Coffee Table by Colo Studio, France
By Art Decor
Located in London, GB
Bonze coffee table 'Radiant' by Colo studio, 2022 Material: Bronze, golden polish Dimensions: H 33 x 119 x 72 cm Year: 2022 Limited and numbered edition of 8 pieces + 4 AP, handmade...
Bronze
Italian Modern Astrolabio Center Table By Oscar Tusquets
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Modern Center Table By Oscar Tusquets. We offer this iconic Italian modern Oscar Tusquets Astrolabio for Aleph-Driade Center Table or dining table. This table was designed by...
Bronze
Garden Glass Star Shaped Cast Iron Round Dining Table 1970s French Antique 60s
Located in London, GB
An amazing distressed star-shaped dining table made of pure cast iron. Fantastically angular, this sturdy table is completed with a round glass top. Three swirling feet, with touches...
Wrought Iron
Sirocco Polished Marble Center Table
Located in Houston, TX
Sirocco marble center table.
Marble
Italian Modern Stepped Travertine Table Base-Pedestal After Angelo Mangiarotti
By Mario Bellini, Angelo Mangiarotti, Up & Up
Located in Houston, TX
Italian modern stepped Travertine pedestal or table base after Angelo Mangiarotti. Beautiful Italian Angelo Mangiarotti style travertine pedestal, ...
Travertine
Angelo Mangiarotti for Skipper White Carrara Marble "Eros" Round Center Table
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Skipper
Located in Almelo, NL
Angelo Mangiarotti for Skipper White Carrara Marble "Eros" Round Centre Table 1970 This round table is an iconic piece designed by Angelo Mangiarotti for skipper in the 1970s. The '...
Carrara Marble
Attila Coffee or Low Centre Table by Jean-Michel Wilmotte
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Attila table by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Interesting proportions. Tall coffee table or low centre table. Referenced and documented.
Steel
$7,417 / item
Mahogany Alter Table by Michael Wilson
Located in Geneve, CH
Mahogany Alter Table by Michael Wilson Dimensions: W 149.86 x D 36.83 x H 86.36 cm Materials: mahogany The Michael Wilson Studio was founded in the fall of 2000. The Japanese-Americ...
Other
Contemporary Polished Bronze Circular Coffee Table by Colo Studio, France
By Art Decor
Located in London, GB
'Radiant' Coffee Table by Colo Studio Limited and numbered edition of 8 pieces + 4 AP, handmade in France. Bespoke dimensions and finishes upon request. Material: Bronze, golden po...
Bronze
Jeanne Pierre Picheny inspired Pop Art Blue Jeans Coffee Table, France 1980s
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a Jeanne Pierre Picheny inspired Pop Art Table, featuring a female shaped body in Blue Jeans. The Coffee Table is done in resin with the glass top. Made...
Glass, Resin
$10,440 / item
Luca Coffee Table Small by Umberto Bellardi Ricci
Located in Geneve, CH
Luca coffee table small by Umberto Bellardi Ricci Dimensions: W 71.1 x D 109.24 x H 22.9 cm Materials: Travertine, bronze legs. Umberto Bellardi...
Travertine, Bronze
$12,861 / item
Large Andrea Nesting Table by Umberto Bellardi Ricci
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Andrea nesting table by Umberto Bellardi Ricci Dimensions: D 94 x W 71 x H 28 cm. Materials: Travertine, bronze legs. Umberto Bellardi Ricci is an Italian sculptor and arc...
Travertine, Bronze
Custom Listing / Set of 2 Andrea and Luca Coffee Table by Umberto Bellardi Ricci
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Andrea and Luca coffee table by Umberto Bellardi Ricci Dimensions: Andrea: D 94 x W 71 x H 28 cm. Luca: D 140 x W 86.5 x H 32 cm. Materials: Travertine, bronze legs. Umbert...
Travertine, Bronze
$2,902 / item
Luna 130 Metal Console Table by Laurence Du Tilly
Located in Geneve, CH
Luna 130 Metal Console Table by Laurence Du Tilly Dimensions: D 130 x W 37 x H 85 cm Materials: Metal Also available in two hundred different colors from the RAL color chart, please...
Metal, Other
$1,077 / item
Sphere Table by Studio Christinekalia
Located in Geneve, CH
Sphere table by Studio Christinekalia Dimensions: W 70 x D 70 x H 35 cm. Materials: Wood, burl veneer. Derived from the element of the sphere, this l...
Wood, Burl
Robert Venturi for Knoll Postmodern Square Dining Table Model No. 65848, 1984
By Knoll, Robert Venturi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Robert Venturi for Knoll Postmodern square dining table Model No. 65848, 1984. Cabriole legged dining/ center/ work table in iconic postmodern "Grandmother's Tablecloth" printed lami...
Plywood
"Kyoto" End Table by Shiro Kuramata, Concrete & Glass, Memphis 1983
Located in Tinton Falls, NJ
Reminds you of that old-fashioned candy called "Roman Nougat", doesn't it? The white concrete base is the nougat; the colored random glass fragments are the jellies of different fla...
Concrete
$10,442 / item
Small Andrea Nesting Table by Umberto Bellardi Ricci
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Andrea Nesting table by Umberto Bellardi Ricci. Dimensions: D 74 x W 56 x H 18 cm. Materials: Travertine, bronze legs. Umberto Bellardi Ricci is an Italian sculptor and ar...
Travertine, Bronze
$6,304 / item
Green High Table by Studio Christinekalia
Located in Geneve, CH
Green high table by Studio Christinekalia Dimensions: W 110 x D 210 x H 75 cm. Materials: Wood, mappa burl veneer, solid brass. This dining piece is a bold chromatic statement ...
Brass
Verhey Center Table in Brass and Romano Travertine by Mavo Atelier
By Mavo Atelier
Located in Trofa, PT
VERHEY COFFEE TABLE The handcrafted, asymmetrical Verhey Coffee Table expresses the purity of materiality and sculptural play on form. Bridging art and design, the confluence of meta...
Travertine, Brass
$11,703Sale Price|20% Off
Roberto Jodice Postmodern Italian Indian Tortoiseshell Coffee Table, 1975
Located in Conversano, IT
If you would like to receive additional photos of this item, please feel free to contact us directly through the 1stDibs messaging system. We will be happy to provide you with furthe...
Tortoise Shell, Wood, Lacquer
$5,880 / item
M Console Table by Goons
Located in Geneve, CH
M console table by Goons. Dimensions: W 122 x D 270 x H 74 cm. Materials: Wood. Dimensions can be adjusted +/- 10 cm. Goons is located in Paris, France. All of their designs...
Wood
$4,642 / item
Ibiza Dining Metal Table by Laurence Du Tilly
Located in Geneve, CH
Ibiza Dining Metal Table by Laurence Du Tilly Dimensions: D 120 x H 75 cm Materials: Metal Also available in two hundred different colors from the RAL color chart, please contact us...
Metal, Other
Post Modern Italian Marble Table Pietra Dura with Floral Inlays Interior Design
Located in Buxton, GB
This Post Modern Italian Pietra Dura Marble Table with a Floral Inlays is a stunning piece of antique furniture from 1990s. The table can be fully dissembled and features intricate ...
Marble
Contemporary Polished Bronze Circular Coffee Table by Colo Studio, France
By Art Decor
Located in London, GB
Bonze Round Coffee Table by Colo Studio Limited and numbered edition of 8 pieces + 4 AP, handmade in France. Bespoke dimensions and patinas upon request. Material: Bronze, golden p...
Bronze
Square Honed Montclair Danby Marble Center Table
Located in Houston, TX
Square honed Montclair Danby marble center table featuring a tapered, square column.
Marble
1980s Italian Round Carrara Marble Dining Table, Antonia Astori for Driade
By Antonia Astori, Ettore Sottsass, Driade
Located in Grand Cayman, KY
White Carrara marble top and base by one of the most celebrated female Italian designers of Postmodernism, Antonia Astori. Beautiful and whimsical, this piece exemplifies the Memphis...
Carrara Marble, Steel
Helle Cast Glass Fire Polished Hand Sanded Low Side Table by Bowen Liu
Located in Geneve, CH
Helle Cast Glass Fire Polished Hand Sanded Low Side Table by Bowen Liu Limited Edition of 8 + 1 prototype + 2 A.P. Dimensions: D 22 x H 19 cm Materials: Cast Glass Based in, produc...
Other
Postmodern Pedestal Dining Table with Marble Foot Base
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Round postmodern blackened steel dining table features a marble pedestal foot base. The sculptural foot base is carved from one solid piece of carrera marble. Dimensions 56" diamete...
Carrara Marble, Steel
Studio Smania Briar Wood Smoked Glass Round Brass Dining Table 1970s Hollywood
By Smania
Located in London, GB
A circular dining table by Fabrizio Smania. The base is formed by Y-X-shaped tubular ridged base in a striking golden yellow/lime hue interconnected wi...
Chrome
$25,218 / item
Coffee Table by Serafini
Located in Geneve, CH
Coffee Table by Serafini Designed by Arthur Vallin Dimensions: D 60 x W 120 x H 30 cm Materials: Brass, Marble Range 10 Available in other marbles and metals. Marmi Serafini is locat...
Marble, Brass
Angelo Mangiarotti for Skipper White Carrara Marble Eros Triangle Center Table
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Skipper
Located in Almelo, NL
Angelo Mangiarotti for Skipper White Carrara Marble "Eros" Triangle Centre Table 1970 This is a rare, iconic triangle table designed by Angelo Mangiarotti for Skipper in the 1970s. ...
Carrara Marble
Picasso Green Refined Contemporary Marble Round Table M/R 180
Located in Geneve, CH
Picasso Green Refined Contemporary Marble Round Table M/R 180 Dimensions: 180 x H 75 cm Materials: Marble Angelo is the essence of a round table in natural stone, a sculptural shape...
Marble
Jeanne Pierre Picheny inspired Pop Art Blue Jeans Coffee Table, France 1980s
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a Jeanne Pierre Picheny inspired Pop Art Table, featuring a female shaped body in Blue Jeans. The Coffee Table is done in resin with the glass top. Made...
Glass, Resin
Deposit 50% / Set of 2 Andrea and Luca Coffee Table by Umberto Bellardi Ricci
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Andrea and Luca coffee table by Umberto Bellardi Ricci Dimensions: Andrea: D 94 x W 71 x H 28 cm. Luca: D 140 x W 86.5 x H 32 cm. Materials: Travertine, bronze legs. Umbert...
Travertine, Bronze
Bohemian Low Basse Oval Metal Table by Laurence Du Tilly
Located in Geneve, CH
Bohemian Low Basse Oval Metal Table by Laurence Du Tilly Dimensions: D 160x80 x H 35 cm Materials: Metal Also available in two hundred different colors from the RAL color chart, ple...
Metal, Other
Postmodern coffee table, Italian manufacture, lattice base and crystal top
Located in Firenze, IT
A very unusual postmodern-style coffee table, Italian manufacture from the 1980s, it features a lattice steel base lacquered in shades of red and a tempered glass top.
Crystal, Steel
$31,271 / item
Stilo Ceppo Sicilia Table by Etamorph
Located in Geneve, CH
Stilo Ceppo Sicilia Table by Etamorph Dimensions: W 30 x D 20 x H 46 cm. Materials: Ceppo Sicilia. Also available in different stones. Make an impressive impact with our commandin...
Stone
$11,131 / item
Boho Oval Dining Metal Table by Laurence Du Tilly
Located in Geneve, CH
Boho Oval Dining Metal Table by Laurence Du Tilly Dimensions: D 240x120 x H 75 cm Materials: Metal Also available in two hundred different colors from the RAL color chart, please co...
Metal, Other
$18,663 / item
Salvante C1 Coffee Table by Piotr Dąbrowa
Located in Geneve, CH
Salvante C1 coffee table by Piotr Dabrowa Unique Piece Dimensions: D 120 x H 34 cm Materials: Calacatta Viola marble, Walnut Burl. Also Available: Rosa Peralba marble, Calacatta ...
Marble
Rosso Lepanto Refined Contemporary Marble Round Table M/R 160
Located in Geneve, CH
Rosso Lepanto Refined Contemporary Marble Round Table M/R 160 Dimensions: 160 x H 75 cm Materials: Marble Angelo is the essence of a round table in natural stone, a sculptural shape...
Marble
$15,131 / item
Fisherman White Onyx Table by Panorammma
Located in Geneve, CH
Fisherman White Onyx Table by Panorammma Dimensions: ⌀ 108 x H 32.5 cm Materials: White Onyx, Recycled nickel, chrome, copper & steel The Fisherman Table is an object created by a h...
Onyx, Other, Copper, Steel, Chrome, Nickel
$2,342 / item
Gipsy 80 Low Basse Metal Table by Laurence Du Tilly
Located in Geneve, CH
Gipsy 80 Low Basse Metal Table by Laurence Du Tilly Dimensions: D 80 x H 30 cm Materials: Metal Also available in two hundred different colors from the RAL color chart, please conta...
Metal, Other
$2,971 / item
Gipsy 110 Low Basse Metal Table by Laurence Du Tilly
Located in Geneve, CH
Gipsy 110 Low Basse Metal Table by Laurence Du Tilly Dimensions: D 110 x H 35 cm Materials: Metal Also available in two hundred different colors from the RAL color chart, please con...
Metal, Other
$21,687 / item
Meta Rojo Breccia Marble Table by Phillip Jividen
Located in Geneve, CH
Meta Rojo Breccia Marble Table by Phillip Jividen Dimensions: Ø 132 x H 71cm Materials: Marble Finish: Rojo Breccia, polished / honed Also available in other finishes. Inspired by ...
Marble
$7,885 / item
Medium Ita Center Table by Estudio Prosa
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium Ita Center Table by Estudio Prosa Dimensions: W 100 x D 75 x H 30 cm Materials: Wood. Available in Cedro Arana, Jequitiba, Muiracatiara, or Cumaru wood options. Please contac...
Wood