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Post-Modern Side Tables

POSTMODERN STYLE

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

  • Emerges during the 1960s; popularity explodes during the ’80s
  • A reaction to prevailing conventions of modernism by mainly American architects
  • Architect Robert Venturi critiques modern architecture in his Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966)
  • Theorist Charles Jencks, who championed architecture filled with allusions and cultural references, writes The Language of Post-Modern Architecture (1977)
  • Italian design collective the Memphis Group, also known as Memphis Milano, meets for the first time (1980) 
  • Memphis collective debuts more than 50 objects and furnishings at Salone del Milano (1981)
  • Interest in style declines, minimalism gains steam

CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Dizzying graphic patterns and an emphasis on loud, off-the-wall colors
  • Use of plastic and laminates, glass, metal and marble; lacquered and painted wood 
  • Unconventional proportions and abundant ornamentation
  • Playful nods to Art Deco and Pop art

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 Mendinia 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.

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Style: Post-Modern
Side Table with Mirrored Bar by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti, 1980s
Located in București, B
Unique side table with a mirrored bar designed by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti in the 1980s. The table structure is made of black matte wood while the table top has a geometric Bird...
Category

1890s Italian Antique Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Glass, Wood, Birdseye Maple, Burl

Jean Claude Dresse Mosaic Coffee Table in Brass
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Jean Claude Dresse, coffee table, brass and steel, Belgium, 1970s Enchanting coffee table designed by Belgian artist Jean Claude Dresse in the 1970s. This square table with rounded ...
Category

1970s Belgian Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Brass, Steel

YOUMY Round Bronze Side Table by Mademoiselle Jo
Located in Geneve, CH
YOUMY Round Bronze Table by Mademoiselle Jo Dimensions: Ø 36 x H 43 cm. Materials: Bronze. Also available in different colors and finishes. Round s...
Category

2010s Belgian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Bronze

Time Table with Noir Belge by Pierre De Valck
Located in Geneve, CH
Time table with Noir Belge by Pierre De Valck. Dimensions: W 140 x D 140 x H 38 cm. Materials: Patinated bronze with Noir Belge Weight: 75 kg. Each piece is unique. Pierre De Valck (1991) born in Brussels, is a Ghent-based designer with a childhood fascination for archeology and collecting historical artefacts. His furniture attempts to harness the power of ancient geological processes in a contemporary bodice. Modern antiquities that allow the rediscovery of an ancestral past. Pierre De Valck manually encrusts each piece of furniture with unique minerals and stones...
Category

2010s Belgian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Stone, Bronze

YOUMY Round Foggy Side Table by Mademoiselle Jo
Located in Geneve, CH
YOUMY Round Foggy Table by Mademoiselle Jo Dimensions: Ø 36 x H 43 cm. Materials: Foggy steel. Also available in different colors and finishes. Round symmetrical or rectangular asym...
Category

2010s Belgian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Steel

Sculptural Table, 1980s
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Behold the faux plaster Postmodern sculptural side table – a testament to artistry and illusion. Crafted with meticulous detail, it mimics the raw elegance of plasterwork, adding a t...
Category

1980s Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Wood

A pink granite side table, late 20th century
Located in View Park, CA
A granite marble stone side table with convex edge, probably circa 1980s. Tones of coral pink, ochre, and pewter. Great condition with minor signs of age. Please don’t hesitate to re...
Category

Late 20th Century Unknown Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Granite

Murano Postmodern Italian Glass Side Table
Located in Countryside, IL
Murano Postmodern Italian Glass Side Table This side table measures: 20 wide x 20 deep x 24.5 inches high We take our photos in a controlled lighting studio to show as much detail ...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Glass, Murano Glass

Spanish Postmodern Side Table
Located in București, B
Spanish postmodern side table made of burl wood. Unknown designer
Category

1980s Spanish Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Wood, Burl

Alwa Three Smoky Grey Side Table by Pulpo
Located in Geneve, CH
Alwa three smoky grey side table by Pulpo. Dimensions: D 38 x H 44 cm. Materials: casted and hand-blown glass. >>Also available in different colors. Normally, glass is regarded as ...
Category

2010s German Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Glass

Silver Travertine Small Trilith Side Table by Atra Design
By ATRA
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Trilith Side Table by Atra Design Dimensions: D 43 x W 43 x H 38 cm. Materials: Silver Travertine and brass. Different marble options available: Verde Tikal, Negro Monterrey, ...
Category

2010s Mexican Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Travertine, Brass

Travertine Navona Tall Trilith Side Table by Atra Design
By ATRA
Located in Geneve, CH
Travertine Navona Tall Trilith Side Table by Atra Design Dimensions: D 50 x W 43 x H 52 cm. Materials: Travertine Navona and brass. Different marble options available: Verde Tikal, ...
Category

2010s Mexican Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Travertine, Brass

Object 065 Side Table by NG Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Object 065 Side Table by NG Design Dimensions: D40 x H50 cm Materials: Marble Verde Dorato Also Available: All of objects available in different materials and colors on demand. The...
Category

2010s Polish Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Marble

Pawn Rosso Levanto Marble Side Table & Stool by Etamorph
Located in Geneve, CH
Pawn Rosso Levanto Marble Side Table & Stool by Etamorph Dimensions: Ø 30 x H 40 cm. Materials: Rosso Levanto Marble Available in different stone options. Please contact us. ETAMO...
Category

2010s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Marble

Chunky Classic Travertine Side Table & Stool by Etamorph
Located in Geneve, CH
Chunky Classic Travertine Side Table & Stool by Dalmoto Dimensions: D 34 x W 34 x H 46 cm. Materials: Classic Travertine. Available in different stone options. Please contact us. ...
Category

2010s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Travertine

Brutalist Postmodern Side Table by Jonathan Christian, Wood & Marble, France
Located in Lille, FR
Sculptural Postmodern side table by Jonathan Christian.   
Category

2010s French Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Carrara Marble

Chess Stool/ Sculptural Side Table (Concave)
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Two hand-turned wooden pieces with an elegant piano polish lacquer play together as sculptural stools or side table sets.
Category

2010s Mexican Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Resin, Wood

Olo Nightstand Sculptural Side Table
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Rings of blue calcite, pink marble, black marble and green onyx tower to create Olo Nightstand Sculptural Side Table; a piece meticulously hand-sculpted from stones endemic to Mexico...
Category

2010s Mexican Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Stone, Onyx, Marble

Marmorino Dover White Marble Coffee Table by Dalmoto
Located in Geneve, CH
Marmorino Dover White Marble Coffee Table by Dalmoto Dimensions: D 66 x W 92 x H 28 cm. Materials: Nichel Marino nickel, Dover White marble and leather. Available in different metal...
Category

2010s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Marble, Nickel

Silos Side Table by Dalmoto
Located in Geneve, CH
Silos Side Table by Dalmoto Dimensions: Ø 54 x H 67 cm. Materials: Nichel Marino nickel and resin. Available in different metal and resin options. Available in two sizes. Please con...
Category

2010s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Nickel

Marmorino Travertino Marble Side Table by Dalmoto
Located in Geneve, CH
Marmorino Travertino Marble Side Table by Dalmoto Dimensions: D 26 x W 92 x H 28 cm. Materials: Nichel Marino nickel, Travertino marble and leather. Available in different metal, ma...
Category

2010s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Marble, Nickel

Disco Side Table Brass and Natural Cork by decarvalho atelier
Located in São Paulo, BR
ADDITIONAL DISK TABLE The disco side table is lightweight and versatile, it looks great combined with the disco side table. Its top can be in natural cork or black rubberized cork an...
Category

2010s Brazilian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Brass

Disco Side Table Brass and Rubberized Black Cork by decarvalho atelier
Located in São Paulo, BR
ADDITIONAL DISK TABLE The disco side table is lightweight and versatile, it looks great combined with the disco side table. Its top can be in natural cork or black rubberized cork an...
Category

2010s Brazilian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Brass

Jay Spectre "DeLanay" Round Chrome and Glass Table
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Jay Spectre "DeLanay" Glass and Chrome Side Table. In beautiful Condition. Couldn't an example of this table anywhere besides in an Ad! Updated Deco feel with a beautiful Etched G...
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Chrome

Laminate Triangle Table, 1980s
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Go beyond the ordinary with this retro triangle table in classic Postmodern purple laminate. It's a geometric gem that adds a pop of fun and flair to any corner of your space. - 16...
Category

1980s Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Laminate

Chouchou High Green Side Table by Pulpo
Located in Geneve, CH
Chouchou high green side table by Pulpo Dimensions: D39 x H57 cm Materials: ceramic Also available in different Colours. Chouchou bears the contours of an antique column – which, ...
Category

2010s German Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Ceramic

Beloco Baby 1 Side Table by Bea Interiors
Located in Geneve, CH
Beloco Baby 1 Side Table by Bea Interiors One of a Kind. Dimensions: Ø 61 x H 81.28 cm. Materials: Solid white oak and marble. The Beloco Baby 1 is a versatile furniture piece that ...
Category

2010s American Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Marble

Beloco Baby 2 Side Table by Bea Interiors
Located in Geneve, CH
Beloco Baby 2 Side Table by Bea Interiors One of a Kind. Dimensions: Ø 61 x H 81.28 cm. Materials: Solid white oak and marble. The Beloco Baby 1 is a versatile furniture piece that ...
Category

2010s American Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Marble

Beloco Baby 1 Side Table by Bea Interiors
Located in Geneve, CH
Beloco Baby 1 Side Table by Bea Interiors One of a Kind. Dimensions: Ø 61 x H 81.28 cm. Materials: Solid white oak and marble. The Beloco Baby 1 is a versatile furniture piece that ...
Category

2010s American Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Marble

Postmodern Off-white Stucco Smoked Glass Top Scroll Side Tables - a Pair
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Embrace postmodern elegance with Offwhite Stucco Smoked Glass Top Scroll Side Tables, blending chic design, texture, and sophistication. Graceful sc...
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Glass, Wood

Beloco Baby 2 Side Table by Bea Interiors
Located in Geneve, CH
Beloco Baby 2 Side Table by Bea Interiors One of a Kind. Dimensions: Ø 61 x H 81.28 cm. Materials: Solid white oak and marble. The Beloco Baby 1 is a versatile furniture piece that ...
Category

2010s American Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Marble

Postmodern Cream Lacquer Laminate Triangular Nesting Side Tables
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Add a modern touch to your living space with these Postmodern Cream Lacquer Laminate Triangular Nesting Side Tables. Perfect blend of style and func...
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Wood

Postmodern Grey Lacquer Laminate Waterfall Side Table
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Discover the Postmodern Grey Lacquer Laminate Waterfall Side Table, offering a sleek, continuous design, refined elegance, and versatile functionality. Continuous, flowing waterfall...
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Wood

Postmodern Grey and White Striped Lacquer Laminate Side Table - a Pair
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Discover contemporary flair with our Grey and White Striped Lacquer Laminate Side Tables, combining chic design with functionality for a unique aesthetic. Striking grey and white st...
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Wood

Postmodern Sculpted Plaster Glass Top Side Tables - a Pair
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Add a touch of artistic flair with our Postmodern Sculpted Plaster Glass Top Side Tables, featuring a unique sculpted base and transparent glass tops. Unique sculpted plaster base c...
Category

1990s American Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Glass, Plaster

American Designer, Side Tables, Brass, Metal, USA, 1970s
Located in High Point, NC
A pair of polished brass side tables designed and produced in the US, c. 1970s.
Category

1970s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Metal, Brass

Rare Postmodern mixed media side table by Les Prismatiques, signed, late 20th c
Located in View Park, CA
A very rare and collectible postmodern side table by Les Prismatiques, the New York City design company founded by the late great Ralph Gambaro, circa late 20th century - probably la...
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Granite, Steel

Bent Side Table High Smoky Grey by Pulpo
Located in Geneve, CH
Bent side table high smoky grey by Pulpo. Dimensions: D50 x H51.5 cm. Materials: casted glass. Also available in different finishes and dimensions. The bubbled surface of the cast...
Category

2010s German Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Glass

Boom Bom Pink Orange Spotted Colorful Side Table, Pop Art and Postmodern Style
Located in Istanbul, Maltepe
Boom Bom Cofee Table Coffee tables, the most vibrant and needed object of living spaces. Adding colors and rounded forms on top, arisen energetic Boom Bom Coffee Table. Production m...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Fiberglass

Small Sandstone Side Table by Moïo Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Sandstone Side Table by Moïo Studio Unique Piece Dimensions: W 25 x D 25 x H 37 cm Materials: Porcelain, engobe and glazes on tan stoneware Moïo Studio is the Berlin-based cer...
Category

2010s German Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Porcelain, Stoneware

Boom Bom Pink Colorful Side Table, Pop Art and Postmodern Style
Located in Istanbul, Maltepe
Boom Bom Cofee Table Coffee tables, the most vibrant and needed object of living spaces. Adding colors and rounded forms on top, arisen energetic Boom Bom Coffee Table. Production m...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Fiberglass

Boom Bom Lilac Colorful Side Table, Pop Art and Postmodern Style
Located in Istanbul, Maltepe
Boom Bom Cofee Table Coffee tables, the most vibrant and needed object of living spaces. Adding colors and rounded forms on top, arisen energetic Boom Bom Coffee Table. Production m...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Fiberglass

Red Geometric Side Drinks Table, Late 20th Century
Located in New York, NY
A red geometric side/drinks table, Postmodern period, circa late-20th century. A chic red fiberglass resin geometric side drinks table. A great statement piece for a living room, lou...
Category

Late 20th Century Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Fiberglass, Resin

Postmodern Gold Metal Laminate Triangular Corner Side Tables - a Pair
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Presenting our pair of Postmodern Gold Metal Laminate Triangular Corner Side Tables. Their distinctive triangular design fits snugly into corners, adding function and flair to any sp...
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Metal

Side table from the PS series "Karljohan" by Christian Halleröd for Ikea 1999
By Ikea
Located in München, DE
Beautiful side table from the PS series "Karljohan". Design by Christian Halleröd for Ikea Sweden 1999. The side table is made of solid beech wood with three solid legs that can be u...
Category

1990s Swedish Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Beech

Postmodern Cream Lacquer Laminate Side Table
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Exceptional vintage postmodern mushroom side table. Features a cream lacquer laminate and a square top with rounded edges.
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Laminate

Whimsical Post Modern Camel Themed Side Table, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, PA
A whimsical Post-Modern side table with a glass top and brass accent. This camel-themed black lacquered side table or cocktail table is made of hand-carved wood. The occasional table...
Category

1980s Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Brass

Cream Lacquered Side Tables Wheels 1970s Hollywood Regency Vintage Retro, Pair
Located in London, GB
A pair of effortlessly chic side tables, made of lacquered metal and sat atop castor wheels. Each table is composed of a cream lacquered frame, inside which is housed three glass pa...
Category

1970s French Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Metal

"Atlas" Table by Jasper Morrison for Alias, 1990
Located in București, B
The "Atlas" table was designed by Jasper Morrison for Alias in 1990. It's made of an enamelled steel structure and an aluminium table top. "Sitting in a café in Vienna one sunny mo...
Category

1990s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Aluminum, Steel

Postmodern Sculpted Tessellated Stone Side Table
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Excellent vintage postmodern sculpted tessellating mactan stone side table. Features polished sides with a raw interior and a square beveled gl...
Category

1990s Philippine Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Stone

Bough Table by Cal Summers
Located in Geneve, CH
Bough Table by Cal Summers Dimension: D 58.42 x H 34.29 cm Materials: Sculpted Steel with Bronze Patina and Waxed Finish. Cal Summers is a British designer who makes bespoke handma...
Category

2010s Canadian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Steel

Level Table by Cal Summers
Located in Geneve, CH
Level Table by Cal Summers Dimension: W 42 x D 30.48 x H 43.18 cm Materials: Solid Steel, Heavily Rusted. Cal Summers is a British designer who makes bespoke handmade furniture an...
Category

2010s Canadian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Steel

Postmodern Polished Tessellated Stone Glass Top Side Tables - a Pair
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Incredible pair of tessellated stone side tables. Features a triangular slope of rough stone with the rest of the table displaying a polished stone. A brass finished cross bar at the...
Category

1990s Philippine Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Stone, Brass

Crea Table by Cal Summers
Located in Geneve, CH
Crea Table by Cal Summers Dimension: D 48.26 x H 48.26 cm Materials: Sculpted Steel with an Aged Zinc Finish. Cal Summers is a British designer who makes bespoke handmade furnitur...
Category

2010s Canadian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Steel

Postmodern Off White Stucco Finished Pedestals - Set of 3
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Amazing set of three vintage postmodern rectangular pedestals. Each feature an off white stucco finish. Small cube one: 15x15x15
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Wood

Postmodern Polished Tessellated Stone Side Table
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Amazing postmodern tessellated stone side table. Features a polished stone finish with black stone and brass inlaid.
Category

1990s Philippine Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Stone, Brass

Postmodern Lucite Glass Top Side Table
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Amazing vintage postmodern lucite side table. Features a beveled glass top.
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Glass, Lucite

Postmodern Cream Textured Laminate Waterfall Side Table
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Exceptional vintage postmodern waterfall side table. Features a textured faux leather cream laminate.
Category

1980s American Vintage Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Wood

Post-modern side tables for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Post-Modern side tables for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage side tables created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include tables, seating, case pieces and storage cabinets and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, stone and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Post-Modern side tables made in a specific country, there are Europe, North America, and Italy pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original side tables, popular names associated with this style include Misaya, Edizione Limitata, Kasadamo, and Oskar Peet and Sophie Mensen. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for side tables differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $292 and tops out at $52,547 while the average work can sell for $2,476.

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