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.
Vintage French Post Modern Console Table - Circa 1980s - Maple Entry Table
Located in Decatur, GA
Vintage post modern squiggle leg console table, France circa 1980s. Gorgeous from any angle. Finished on all sides allowing it to float in a room. Very good original condition with m...
Maple
$4,850 / item
Empat Arched Console Table Hunter Green
Located in New York, US
Elegant, deep detailing gives the Empat console table a sculptured appearance that makes it an artistic accent as well as a functional table. Its graceful arches add interest without...
Resin, Plywood
$3,800 / item
Jarvits Arched Console Table in Espresso Walnut
Located in New York, US
The minimal, stylistic arches of Jarvits Consoles give it a sculptured appearance, transforming it into both an artistic accent and a functional table ...
Wood, Walnut
Post Modern Italian Travertine Console Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Condition: Original Vintage Condition Crafted in Italy during the 1980s, this Post Modern console table features clean, architectural lines in natural travertine. The elongated to...
Travertine
$6,688 / item
Twin No. 1 Console Table in Jesmonite by Perler
Located in Geneve, CH
Twin No. 1 Console Table in Jesmonite by Perler. Dimensions: W 130 x D 40 x H 90 cm. Materials: Jesmonite. Color: A subtle shade of warm white/ivory with ceramic inlays in olive gre...
Other
Goatskin Long Chic Lacquered Console Table with Chrome Base Karl Springer Style
Located in Bensalem, PA
Amazing console circa 1980s lacquer over goat skin with chrome surrounds in the manner of Karl Springer
Goatskin, Fiberglass, Lacquer
1980's Post Modern Raspberry Waterfall Console
Located in Redding, CT
1980's Post Modern Raspberry Waterfall Console. Heavy well made console table in a deep rich raspberry color. Hard to find. Use in an entry way or in a dining room as a server.
Laminate, Wood
Postmodern 1980s Art Deco Revival Style Console/ Entry Table. Circa 1980s
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Postmodern 1980s Art Deco Revival Style Console/ Entry Table. Circa 1980s Features two Art Deco-inspired soft pink columns supporting a 5/8" thick removable glass top. In e...
Glass, Plaster, Wood
$1,472Sale Price|20% Off
Post Modern 1980's Laminated Turquoise Waterfall Console Table by Jeffrey Craig
Located in Toronto, CA
This 1980s turquoise laminated waterfall console table is a striking example of postmodern design by Jeffrey Craig, a distinguished Canadian designer known for his craftsmanship and ...
Laminate, Wood
Stone Bronze Settanta Oval Console Table with Steel Frame by Disain1971
Located in Geneve, CH
Stone Bronze Settanta Oval Console Table with Steel Frame by Disain1971 Dimensions: W 160 x D 45 x H 75 cm Materials: Dark brown steel plate frame /...
Steel
1980s Italian Postmodern Lacquered Wood and Glass Console
Located in Miami, FL
1980s Italian Postmodern Lacquered Wood and Glass Console Offered for sale is a 1980s Italian black lacquered wood console table. The table's sinuous curved ends hold a substantial...
Glass, Wood, Lacquer
$1,871Sale Price|25% Off
Scandinavian Post Modern Sofa Console Table Marble Top Bendixen Designs Denmark
Located in Topeka, KS
Fabulous Late 20th Century Scandinavian Modern to Postmodern end or side table comprised of a rectangular shaped gray & black Gneiss or marble top with an eased edge & quarte...
Marble
Vintage 1980s Postmodern Console Table Rounded Edge Hallway Table Caramel Grain
By Willy Rizzo
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This vintage 1980s Postmodern console table features a sculptural rounded edge profile and a golden caramel grain finish that enhances its architectural form and sleek linear design....
Wood
Post Modern Bleached Oak and Tinted Glass Console Table by Lou Hodges c. 1980's
By Lou Hodges
Located in New York, NY
Chic Post Modern console table designed by Lou Hodges, circa 1980's. The table is constructed of solid oak in original bleached finish, with a beveled and tinted glass insert panel t...
Smoked Glass, Oak
Tessellated Stone Console
Located in Denton, TX
Black & grey tessellated stone console table with glass top. Base measures 24.63 L x 11 D x 26.13 H.
Stone
$4,850 / item
Empat Arched Console Table Cherry Red
Located in New York, US
Elegant, deep detailing gives the Empat console table a sculptured appearance that makes it an artistic accent as well as a functional table. Its graceful arches add interest without...
Resin, Plywood
Bespoke Spruce Wood Console Table with Columns, Italy, circa 1980
Located in Vienna, AT
Bespoke monumental console table from spruce wood, produced circa 1980 Dimensions are 70.5" x 30.7" (height) x 15.35" This bespoke large spruce wood console table from Italy is a true work of art. The formal aspect of the table is highlighted by its resemblance to a portico, with its antique...
Wood, Spruce
$1,100Sale Price|50% Off
Post Modern 1980s artistic Painted narrow forced perspective console table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid-Century Post Modern artistic forced perspective design softly painted light pink and off white splatters with narrow console table. Would make a great entry way hallway or sofa t...
Wood, Paint
Postmodern Pedestal Console Table
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Postmodern Pedestal Console Table This console measures: 52 wide x 16 deep x 26.25 inches high About Photos: We take our photos in a controlled lighting studio to show as much deta...
Wood
Kaizo Oto for Dia Postmodern Memphis Style Console Table
By Kaizo Oto, Design Institute America
Located in Miami, FL
Steel, brass, chrome and glass console table in the Memphis style by Kaizo Oto for Design Institute of America. Glass is 3/4”.
Steel, Chrome
$8,804 / item
Small Ita Console Table by Estudio Prosa
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Ita Console Table by Estudio Prosa Dimensions: W 120 x D 35 x H 20 cm Materials: Wood. Available in Cedro Arana, Jequitiba, Muiracatiara, or Cumaru wood options. Please contac...
Wood
Postmodern Faux Marble Lacquered Console Table Circa 1970s
Located in Peabody, MA
A dazzling 1970s postmodern console in lavender lacquer with hand finished faux marbling.
Wood
Mappa Burl Wood Venner Sculptural Console Table
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
A console table which’s minimalist qualities are clocked by a clasic burl wood veneer. The mappa burl’s patterns grant the object an eccentric elegance while its brutalist structure ...
Wood, Burl
$1,332 / item
Object 057 Console Table by NG Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 057 console table by NG Design. Dimensions: D 90x W 20 x H 90 cm. Materials: powder coated steel, marble Nero Marquina Also available: all of objects available in different ...
Marble, Steel
Art Deco Revival Travertine Mirror & Console Table Set, Att. Maitland Smith '80s
Located in Richmond, Surrey
A striking postmodern mirror and console table set attributed to Maitland-Smith, crafted in the 1980s. The Art Deco revival ensemble features tessellated travertine stone inlaid with...
Travertine, Brass
$4,281 / item
Unique Console Table by Goons
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique console table by Goons Dimensions: W 120 x D 27 x H 74 cm Materials: Wood Dimensions can be adjusted +/- 10 cm Goons is located in Paris, France. All of their designs are ma...
Wood
$2,876 / item
Form Dressing Table by DAaZ
Located in Geneve, CH
Form Dressing Table by DAaZ Dimensions: D 48 x W 146 x H 76 cm. Materials: Ash wood, glass fiber reinforced polymer. DAaZ Furniture honors the spirit of adventure. We embrace the e...
Fiberglass, Wood
A 1970s, lacquered wood, mirrored glass and brass, Italian console table
Located in Oxford, GB
This is a unique piece of furniture designed in the late 1970s for a boutique in Milan . Exeptional quality, the legs are turned wood , lacquered in an eau de nil colour and capped ...
Brass
$1,650Sale Price|25% Off
Sculptural Hollywood Palm Regency Entry Hall Console Table Tropical Banana Leaf
By Dorthy Draper, Serge Roche
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Fabulous Hollywood Palm Regency console sofa table featuring a tropical banana leaf design. This dramatic sculptural table has a matte cream/white finish with a removable beveled cle...
Composition
$236,638 / item
Yoma Console by Andy Kerstens
Located in Geneve, CH
Yoma Console by Andy Kerstens. Limited Edition of 20 Dimensions: W 255 x D 70 x H 100 cm Materials: Wood bleached and brushed European oak, solid + ve...
Stone, Metal
Mastercraft Console Table Designed By William Doezema
By Mastercraft, William Doezema
Located in Houston, TX
Mastercraft Console Table Designed By William Doezema. Offered is a shapely black lacquer and brass console table desgined by William Doezema for Mastercraft in the 1980's. This time...
Brass
Vintage 1980s Mappa Burlwood Console Table with Pedestal Base
By Karl Springer, Henredon, Maitland Smith, Milo Baughman
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This vintage 1980s Mappa burlwood console table showcases stunning natural burl grain with a warm golden tone. Designed with a distinctive bullnose edge and a sculptural pedestal bas...
Wood, Burl
Attimo Console Table in Walnut, Glass, and Stainless Steel by Animate Objects
Located in Geneve, CH
Attimo Console Table in Walnut, Glass, and Stainless Steel by Animate Objects. Dimensions: W 112 x D 40 x H 80 cm. Materials: Walnut, Glass, Stainless Steel. Inspired by Fortunato D...
Stainless Steel
$2,625Sale Price|30% Off
Large Post Modern Mahogany & Polished Glass Console Hall Sofa Table Sideboard
Located in Dayton, OH
1980s Post Modern Console, Sideboard, Server or Drybar. Features a large pencil polished glass surface centered between two mahogany pedestals. Each pedestal is trimmed in brass al...
Brass
Customizable Luxury Giraffe Console Table with Granite Top - Made in England
By &New
Located in Leicester, GB
The Giraffe console table is made to order with a powder-coated steel frame and a natural granite stone top. This luxury console has been designed to be geometric and compact with be...
Granite, Steel
A POST-MODERN Lacquered CONSOLE Table, ALDO TURA, ROCHE & BOBOIS, France 1970
By Roche Bobois
Located in PARIS, FR
An elegant and luxurious console table with 2 trays, of Japanese inspiration, Post-Modern, Memphis, Constructivist, sophisticated geometric structure in lacquered wood, two separate ...
Wood, Lacquer
$10,032 / item
Cosmic Teak Wood Console by Mary Verspoor
Located in Geneve, CH
Cosmic Teak Wood Console by Mary Verspoor Dimensions: D 214 x W 46 x H 38 CM Materials: Teak wood Mary Verspoor, of Indonesian-Dutch descent, is a Bali-based designer and creator. S...
Other
$46,361 / item
Pop Story Console Table by Vetralia
Located in Geneve, CH
Pop Story Console Table by Vetralia Designed by Leo De Carlo Dimensions: W 180 x D 42 x H 90 cm Materials: Engraved coloured matt mirror, silver leaf coated wood. VETRALIA Function...
Mirror, Wood
Sculptural Sirene Console in Wood by Tomasz Omachel Studio & Palucki Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Coffee Table by Tomasz Omachel Studio & Palucki Studio Dimensions: L 125 × W 39 × H 92.5 cm Materials: Solid ash, natural goat parchment, bronze (foot) Colours: Smoked wood...
Bronze
$636Sale Price|20% Off
Postmodern Tempo Designs Extra Long Laminate Console Table
Located in Medina, OH
Postmodern Tempo Designs Extra Long Laminate Console Table. Unfortunately one side of the table has black imperfections due to movers not using a proper ...
Laminate
Post Modern Pink Plaster Sculptural Console Table, 1980
Located in Chicago, IL
Post Modern Pink Plaster Sculptural Console Table, 1980. Original in beautiful condition.
Plaster
Limited Edition, Black Plywood Console with Five Legs by Lucas Tyra Morten
By Lucas Morten
Located in Geneve, CH
Bro Console by Lucas Tyra Morten Limited Edition of 11 + 1 AP Signed Dimensions: D40 x W250 x H90 cm Material: Hand-waxed plywood. Objects comes with a "Certificate of Authenticity"...
Plywood
A RADICAL POSTMODERN COFFEE TABLE by GUY LEFEVRE for MAISON JANSEN, France 1970
Located in PARIS, FR
A beautiful, elegant and rigorous coffee table, Post-Modernist, Radical, Constructivist, Shabby-Chic, geometric structure in brushed stainless steel, with an additional shelve, with ...
Metal, Brass
Postmodern Console Table in the Style of Lela & Massimo Vignelli’s “Serenissimo”
By Lella & Massimo Vignelli for Casigliani
Located in La Mesa, CA
Postmodern console table/desk in the style of the iconic "Serenissimo" piece by Lella & Massimo Vignelli, David Law for Acerbis International, Italy 1980. Made with 4 substantial tub...
Metal
$1,340Sale Price|45% Off
Brass Plated and Beveled Glass Postmodern Console Sofa Table
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful brass polished flat metal and beveled glass top console table, beautiful simple elegant, circa 1980's.Post-modern design.
Brass
$1,052Sale Price|25% Off
Rectangular Gold Aluminum Console Table with Two Glass Shelves, Italy
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1980s. This shelving unit is made in anodized aluminum and glass. It can be used as a divider. It may show slight traces of use since it's vintage, but it can be consi...
Aluminum
Hand Painted Faux Malachite Console / Desk, Alessandro, Baker, 1980's
By Alessandro Gambrielli, Baker Furniture Company
Located in Culver City, CA
This rare desk / console was designed by European designer and artist Alessandro Gambalogna, known simply as “Alessandro,” for Baker Furniture in the 1980s ~ and she is not your stan...
Malachite
Vintage Karl Springer Style Lacquered Grasscloth Console / Tv or Media Stand 80s
Located in Hastings, GB
A stylish Karl Springer style lacquered grasscloth console / TV or media stand, USA 1980s. It has 2 drawers, with space below for audio stuff (maybe records?), and a thick glass top ...
Grasscloth, Glass, Wood
$619 / item
Object 015 Console Table by NG Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 015 console table by NG Design Dimensions: D75 x W20 x H75 cm Materials: Powder coated steel. Also available: All of objects available in different materials and colors on de...
Steel
$2,000
Oto Console Table
By Design Institute America, Kaizo Oto
Located in New York, NY
Iconic Post Modern design console table by Kaizo Oto for the Design Institute America, circa 1980's. The table features a thick shaped glass top which rests on the stylized mixed met...
Steel
$4,850 / item
Empat Arched Console Table
Located in New York, US
Elegant, deep detailing gives the Empat console table a sculptured appearance that makes it an artistic accent as well as a functional table. Its graceful arches add interest without...
Resin, Plywood
Silas Seandel, Freeform Console, Bronzed Steel, Marble, USA, 1970s
Located in High Point, NC
A bronzed steel and marble console table designed and produced by Silas Seandel, USA, c. 1970s. With artists signature to base. Replaced marble top.
Marble, Bronze, Steel
$2,200Sale Price|20% Off
Postmodern Solid Stainless Steel & Brass Console/Sofa Table
Located in San Diego, CA
Great quality simple design on this solid steel and solid brass round pipes, with glass top console table base. great quality solid and sturdy we can sell the base with or without th...
Brass, Stainless Steel
Postmodern Natural Mactan Stone Entry Console Table With Wall Mirror. C 1990s
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Postmodern Natural Mactan Stone Entry Console Table With Wall Mirror. C 1990s Features a half-moon fractured Mactan Stone facade with a removable glass top resting on four ...
Stone
$2,105Sale Price|60% Off
Large Italian Coffee Table Style of Memphis Milano, 1990s
Located in Paris, IDF
The delicious, rule-breaking elements of postmodern design are evident in this large Italian coffee table in the style of Peter Shire and Me...
Metal
$6,688 / item
Twin No. 2 Console Table in Jesmonite by Perler
Located in Geneve, CH
Twin No. 2 Console Table in Jesmonite by Perler. Dimensions: W 130 x D 40 x H 90 cm. Materials: Jesmonite. Color: A subtle shade of warm white/ivory with ceramic inlays in olive gre...
Other
Modern Sculptural Console Table in "Hermes" Orange Lacquer
Located in Norwalk, CT
Dynamic form on this cantilevered console. Newly lacquered in high gloss Benjamin Moore Electric Orange (Hermes? orange). The heavy, weighted base makes the table very stable. Excell...
Wood
Midcentury Italian Post Modern Mirror Chrome Small Scale Console or Sofa Table
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A funky post modern classic console table from Italy, circa 1990s. It features a mirror polished chrome clad case, with wood bullnose and clear glass top.
Chrome
Mutation Console – Contemporary Sculptural Design in Blackened Brass by Misaya
By Masaya
Located in Geneve, CH
Mutation Console – Contemporary Sculptural Design in Blackened Brass by Misaya Dimensions: W 118 x D 44 x H 80 cm Materials: Brass Also available: Different colors (gold, polished b...
Brass
$2,432 / item
Vintage Medium Console by Pastform
Located in Geneve, CH
Vintage Medium Console by Pastform Dimensions: D 31 x W 120 x H 85 cm. Materials: Stained and varnished wood. Available in different wood color finishes and combinations. Available ...
Wood