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.
Black Ceramic Vase Handcrafted in Italy -Sardinia Black Bubble Family Collection
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
The Black Sardinia Vase is the version in a beautiful shiny black enamel of the Sardina Vase, in turquoise, from the Bubble Family Collection. Entirely handmade using the lathe and s...
Ceramic
$27,851 / item
Planet 01 Sculpture by Kris Lamba Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Planet 01 Sculpture by Kris Lamba Studio Dimensions: W 30 x D 30 x H 65 cm Materials: Polished bronze. Weight: 25 Kg. Kris Lamba was born in London in 1984. He creates large and sma...
Bronze
$1,024 / item
Unfolding Vase by Moldra
Located in Geneve, CH
Unfolding Vase by Moldra Dimensions: D 35 x H 22 cm Materials: Stoneware Moldra is a ceramic studio devoted to sculptural vases and objects. Rooted in the ancestral hand-building te...
Stoneware
Baruch Saktsier bronze signed
By Baruch Saktsier
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a great work for the Russian /Israel artist Baruch Saktsier.
Bronze
$2,049 / item
Terracotta Minoan Pot by Elena Vasilantonaki
Located in Geneve, CH
Terracotta Minoan Pot by Elena Vasilantonaki Unique Dimensions: ⌀ 30 x H 42 cm (Dimensions may vary) Materials: Terracotta Available finishes: Black, Beige, Brown, Red, Terracotta, W...
Terracotta
$314 / item
Exclamation Pen by Essesi
Located in Geneve, CH
Exclamation Pen by Essesi Limited Edition Of 50 Pieces Dimensions: D 3,6 x W 3,6 x H 12,2 cm. Materials: Aluminum. Essesi is a growing collection that celebrates each object and i...
Aluminum
"FLASH" Pop-Art Cased Art Glass Vase in White, Blue, Yellow, & Red, 1999
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A very fine Pop-Art Post-Modern art glass vase. Decorated with a red ""FLASH"" lamp work script that is surrounded by light blue & yellow accents on a white ground. There are remna...
Art Glass
$7,999 / item
Concrete and Clay Totem 160 by Frederic Texier
Located in Geneve, CH
Concrete and Clay Totem 160 by Frederic Texier Dimensions: W 40 x D 25 x H 160 cm. Materials: Concrete coated with lime and cement. Color: Cray. Artist Frédéric Texier expresses ...
Concrete, Cement
$326Sale Price|20% Off
Postmodern White Ceramic Vase by Ambrogio Pozzi with Hand Painted Details, Italy
By Michielotto Top Design, Ambrogio Pozzi
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1980s. This vase is made in ceramic and features pink, purple, crimson, grey and light blue hand painted parts. It might show slight traces of use since it's vintage, ...
Ceramic
Post-Modern Terra-Cotta Vase by Robert Bentley, Geometric Relief, USA
Located in Queens, NY
American Post-War Design cylindrical terra-cotta vase with geometric patter of carved relief (by ROBERT BENTLEY)
Terracotta
$2,771 / item
Memories Heritage Vase by deBlona
Located in Geneve, CH
Memories Heritage Vase by deBlona Dimensions: D 34 x H 53 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Colors: Copper green, purple, antique blue, antiqued finishing. The “Memories” vase, crafted in ex...
Ceramic
$2,445 / item
White Lace Heritage Vase by deBlona
Located in Geneve, CH
White Lace Heritage Vase by deBlona Dimensions: D 34 x H 63 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Colors: Cerium oxide on white stone background. The potiche vase presents an essential shape and...
Ceramic
Unique Tara 02 Vessel - Contemporary Sculpted in Black Wood by Megarisiotis
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Tara 02 Vessel - Contemporary Sculpted in Black Wood by Megarisiotis Dimensions: Ø 45 x H 8 cm. Materials: Turned, brushed, and burned pine. Tara is undoubtedly the most powe...
Pine
$2,561 / item
Wine Gum 1 Vessel by Casper Johs
Located in Geneve, CH
Wine Gum 1 Vessel by Casper Johs Dimensions: Ø 42 x H 48 cm. Materials: Wine gum and resin. The vivid and colorful universe was the start of an in-depth investigation of the possibi...
Other
Polished Cast Brass Buzio P Sculptural Object by Studio Orth
Located in Geneve, CH
Polished Cast Brass Buzio P Sculptural Object by Studio Orth Dimensions: W 12 x D 7 x H 7 cm Materials: Cast metal. Finishes: Polished Cast Brass or Polished Cast Aluminum About: S...
Metal
$7,757 / item
Ramé Copper Wall Sculpture by NITUSH AROOSH
Located in Geneve, CH
Ramé Copper Wall Sculpture by NITUSH AROOSH Dimensions: Ø 100 cm. Materials: Stainless steel. Available in different finishes. All our lamps can be wired according to each country....
Stainless Steel
Elia Tray in Dark Horn & Wood with Lacquered Black Gloss Finish by Arcahorn
Located in Geneve, CH
Elia Tray in Dark Horn & Wood with Lacquered Black Gloss Finish by Arcahorn Designed by Filippo Dini Dimensions: D 25 x W 50 x H 4 cm. Materials: Dark horn and wood with lacquered bl...
Other
Grenat Foncé Vase III in Deep Burgundy Glazed Ceramic by Gazar Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Grenat Foncé Vase III in Deep Burgundy Glazed Ceramic by Gazar Studio Unique Piece Dimensions: Ø 14 x H 34 cm. Materials: Clay with deep burgundy glaze. Dimensions may vary. Please...
Clay
Black ceramic and glass vase Mario Dalla Gassa Nove ceramiche 1980
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Ceramic and black glass vase made by Mario Dalla Gassa for Nove Ceramiche around 1980. The work reflects the material and formal research of the Venetian ceramist, active in enhancin...
Ceramic, Glass
$37,108 / item
Inflated Form 03 Sculpture by Kris Lamba Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Inflated Form 03 Sculpture by Kris Lamba Studio Dimensions: W 45 x D 25 x H 35 cm Materials: Polished bronze. Weight: 30 Kg. Kris Lamba was born in London in 1984. He creates large ...
Bronze
$5,707 / item
Imperial M Decorative Object by Kreoo
Located in Geneve, CH
Imperial M Decorative Object by Kreoo Designed by Christophe Pillet Dimensions: Ø 50 x H 16 cm. Materials: Black and Gold marble. Available in different marble and travertine optio...
Marble
$1,117 / item
Reversible Watch Tray by Henry Wilson
By Henry Wilson
Located in Geneve, CH
Reversible Watch Tray by Henry Wilson Dimensions: W 26 x D 11 x H 3 cm Materials: Bronze A watch tray designed in collaboration with Jaeger-LeCoultre 'Time and Place'. The tray offers two distinct sides - one with a double watch...
Bronze
Turquoise and Natural Terra Cotta Abisso Caraibi Vase by deBlona
Located in Geneve, CH
Turquoise and Natural Terra Cotta Abisso Caraibi Vase by deBlona Dimensions: D 36 x H 50 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Colors: Turquoise and natural terra cotta. The “ABISSO” vase, craft...
Ceramic
Luna Black Stained Oak Tray by Applicata, Post-Modern Design, Sweden
Located in Geneve, CH
Luna Black Stained Oak Tray by Applicata Dimensions: D 28 x W 28 x H 3.7 cm Materials: Black stained oak. Available in oak, smoked oak, and black stained oak finishes. Applicata’s ...
Oak
Tall SIGNED French Abstract Ceramic Sculpture in Two Pieces
Located in North Miami, FL
This is a fantastic large scale hand made ceramic sculpture SIGNED to interior top piece (SEE all detail images and video). This ethereal bird-like figure has wonderful coloring and...
Ceramic
French Champagne Cooler or Planter in Polished Copper Brass and Chrome, 1970s
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Elevate your entertaining style with this striking French champagne cooler, crafted from a sophisticated combination of polished copper brass and chrome. With its sleek silhouette ...
Metal
Hand Made Ceramic Yüklü Collection Vase by İpek Afacan
Located in Geneve, CH
Hand Made Ceramic Yüklü Collection Vase by İpek Afacan. Dimensions: W 19 x D 19 x H 20 cm Materials: Hand made ceramic. About: Born in 1995 in Türkiye’s Black Sea region, the artis...
Ceramic
$640 / item
Frag-2 Sculpture by Vica Ceramica
Located in Geneve, CH
Frag-2 sculpture by Vica Ceramica Dimensions: D 33 x H 33.5 cm Materials: Ceramic, Framed in wood with glass. Weight: 2177.4 g Vica Cerámica-studio is a design and sculpture ...
Ceramic, Glass, Wood
No Center, No Above, No Below Kinetic Sculpture by Atelier Ellery
Located in Geneve, CH
No Center, No Above, No Below Kinetic Sculpture by Atelier Ellery One Of a Kind. Dimensions: D 36 x W 85 x H 145 cm. Materials: Metal resin, plaster, and iron. Available in differen...
Iron, Metal
$803 / item
Kala Pathar Pot by Deetee Home
Located in Geneve, CH
Kala Pathar Pot by Deetee Home Dimensions: D 18.288 x H 34.29 cm Materials: Stoneware To craft timeless, luxury furniture and objects that celebrates India’s rich artisanal heritage...
Stoneware
Italian Modern Marble 1980s Pop Art/Memphis Style Sculpture by Rose Grant
By Memphis Milano, Memphis Group
Located in Palm Springs, CA
We acquired 3 sculptures from the estate of the late artist Rose Grant. This trailblazing housewife turned artist trained under the Italian masters in Florence and created a series ...
Carrara Marble
Aura Handcrafted Pendant Lamp in Neutral Beige Bio-Based Resin by Waves.STUDIO
Located in Geneve, CH
Aura Handcrafted Pendant Lamp in Neutral Beige Bio-Based Resin by Waves.STUDIO Dimensions: Ø 35 x H 35 cm. Materials: Bio-based resin. All our lamps can be wired according to each c...
Resin
$462Sale Price|19% Off
Postmodern Sculptural Hand-Made Iridescent Blue Glazed Earthenware Vase, Italy
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1960s - 1970s. It is hand-made in glazed earthenware: fingerprints are still visible on its surface. It features iridescent colors, decorative scratches and irregular...
Earthenware
$28,895 / item
Itzcali Matla Marble Sculpture by Sebastián Ángeles
Located in Geneve, CH
Itzcali Matla Marble Sculpture by Sebastián Ángeles Dimensions: D 70 x W 27 x H 95 cm Materials: Santo Tomás Marble Conceived as a functional sculpture, MATLA reinterprets the figur...
Marble
$558Sale Price|20% Off
Stunning Double Color White and Pink Etched Murano Glass Vase, Italy, 1980s
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1980s. This vase is made in etched transparent, white and pink Murano glass. It is a vintage item, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it can be consid...
Murano Glass
$1,479 / item
Wave Planter by Deetee Home
Located in Geneve, CH
Wave Planter by Deetee Home Dimensions: D 45.72 x H 41.91 cm Materials: Stoneware To craft timeless, luxury furniture and objects that celebrates India’s rich artisanal heritage. Ou...
Stoneware
Bikuben Money Coin Bank Soholm Ceramics Denmark Anders Anderssen
Located in Den Haag, NL
Soholm Ceramics, Denmark. Bikuben piggy bank annual "Sparemand" from 1980. Anders Andersen. Danish finance minister. Design by Arne Finne. Stoneware. Lim...
Stoneware
Rib 16X Monolith Deep Blue Cornice Vessel by Lenny Stopp
Located in Geneve, CH
Rib 16X Monolith Pitch Black Cornice Vessel by Lenny Stopp Dimensions: D 25 x H 100 cm Materials: Alpha crystalline gypsum (Hard plaster) Cornice is an evolving collection of vessel...
Other
Rib 16X Sturdy Tall Deep Blue Cornice Vessel by Lenny Stopp
Located in Geneve, CH
Rib 16X Sturdy Tall Deep Blue Cornice Vessel by Lenny Stopp Dimensions: D 18 x H 50 cm Materials: Alpha crystalline gypsum (Hard plaster) Cornice is an evolving collection of vessel...
Other
$82,560Sale Price|20% Off
Pop Art Blue Plate Special Burger & Fries Glass Sculpture Set John Miller, 2008
By John Miller
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Inspired by Americana, Miller's work stands to bring new light and perspective to the often overlooked but ubiquitous cultural artifacts that form the American visual lexicon and lived experience. Maybe as impressive as the work itself, is the magnitude of which his creations come to life. At such an impressive scale, his process is truly spectacle to witness. Pieces from his famed ‘Blue Plate Special...
Art Glass, Blown Glass
Ratcheting Candle Stand, Stained Birch Wood by Mun Hau Production
Located in Geneve, CH
Ratcheting Candle Stand, Stained Birch Wood by Mun Hau Production Dimensions: W 13 x D 9 x H 16 cm. Materials: Stained Birch Wood. About Mun Hau Production is a Hong Kong woodworki...
Wood
Arthur M. Bernhang Gray Marble Abstract Sculpture, Chrome Base, 1985
Located in Astoria, NY
Arthur M. Bernhang (American, XX) Gray Marble Sculpture, 1985, the abstract form atop two chrome supports affixed to hardstone base signed and dated. Overall: 16.75" H x 23.5" W x 8....
Marble
Contemporary Aluminium S Shaped Ribbon Hook by Henry Wilson
By Henry Wilson
Located in Geneve, CH
Aluminium Ribbon Hook by Henry Wilson Dimensions: W 2 x D 8 x H 12 cm Materials: Aluminium The Ribbon Hook is sand cast in solid aluminium. Ribbon hook has two protruding blocks to ...
Aluminum
$489 / item
Big Vase 20 by Dechem Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Big vase 20 by Dechem Studio. Dimensions: D 17.5 x H 25 cm. Materials: glass. Available in 2 sizes: D 14 x W 20/ D 17.5 x H 25 cm. Available in white matte, crystal clear, pine g...
Glass
$2,305 / item
Lumos Sculptural Candle Holder by Homa
Located in Geneve, CH
Lumos Sculptural Candle Holder by Homa Dimensions: W 22 x D 17 x H 45 cm Materials: Blown Glass. Silver or Smoke Mirror. Colour: Silver or Smoke. Please note that the Lumos Candle H...
Mirror, Blown Glass
$652 / item
Glaze High Vase by Studionudo
Located in Geneve, CH
Glaze High Vase by Studionudo Unique Piece. Dimensions: Ø 23 x H 30 cm. Materials: Clay. Different finishes and sizes are available. Prices may vary. Please contact us. Simple and ...
Clay
Glass basket from Bleikristall, Germany
By Bleikristall
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Bleikristall Crystal Basket, Germany This Bleikristall crystal basket from Germany features a striking, vibrant green color, enhanced by its distinctive, deep-cut pattern. The design...
Art Glass
$937Sale Price|25% Off
Ambrogio Pozzi for Rosenthal Studio-Line, Austria, White Porcelain Vase
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Ambrogio Pozzi for Rosenthal Studio-Line, Austria, white porcelain vase.
Ceramic, Porcelain
Rare Plexiglass Vase By Luca Bonato for Fusina
Located in Chicago, IL
Amber-toned plexiglass stacked into a cylindrical vase that glows like it has its own light source — because in the right window, it basically does. Designed by Luca Bonato for Fusin...
Glass, Plexiglass
L'Heure Bleue Vase I in Deep Midnight Blue Glazed Ceramic by Gazar Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
L'Heure Bleue Vase I in Deep Midnight Blue Glazed Ceramic by Gazar Studio Unique Piece Dimensions: Ø 15 x H 23,5 cm. Materials: Clay with deep burgundy glaze. Dimensions may vary. ...
Clay
Outfold Silver and Gold Metal Wall Sculpture, Post-Modern, 1985
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Prepare to be swept away by an emblem of shimmering sophistication: Curtis Jere’s “Outfold” wall sculpture, a cascading wave of silver and gold metal artistry from the glamor-drenche...
Metal
Gold Linear Brass Nylon Contemporary Suspended Sculpture by STUDIO SOL LECCIA
Located in Geneve, CH
Dactyle Suspended Sculpture by STUDIO SOL LECCIA Materials: Brass, dactyle, nylon thread. Dimensions: L 120 x H 80 cm. This hanging sculpture wa...
Brass
Rib 16X Monolith Pitch Black Cornice Vessel by Lenny Stopp
Located in Geneve, CH
Rib 16X Monolith Pitch Black Cornice Vessel by Lenny Stopp Dimensions: D 25 x H 100 cm Materials: Alpha crystalline gypsum (Hard plaster) Cornice is an evolving collection of vessel...
Other
Rib 16X Sturdy Deep Blue Cornice Vessel by Lenny Stopp
Located in Geneve, CH
Rib 16X Sturdy Deep Blue Cornice Vessel by Lenny Stopp Dimensions: D 25 x H 45 cm Materials: Alpha crystalline gypsum (Hard plaster) Cornice is an evolving collection of vessels bor...
Other
$145Sale Price / set|44% Off
1980s Memphis Style Brass Candlesticks
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A sculptural pair rooted in early 1980s postmodern design. These vintage candlesticks pull from the Memphis Milano playbook, bold geometry, exaggerated scale, and a graphic sense of ...
Brass
$2,119 / item
Lumi Candle Holder V by Homa
Located in Geneve, CH
Lumi Candle Holder V by Homa. Dimensions: W 21 x D 17 x H 18 cm. Materials: Blown Glass. Silver Mirror. Colour: Silver. HOMA is a contemporary design atelier based in Istanbul. The ...
Glass, Mirror
Contemporary Art Bronze Sculpture Partenze by Giampaolo Talani
Located in Pistoia, IT
Limited Edition of 8 Pieces.
Bronze
$6,369 / item
Royal M Vase by Kreoo
Located in Geneve, CH
Royal M Vase by Kreoo Designed by Christophe Pillet Dimensions: Ø 34 x H 21 cm. Materials: Artik Green marble. Available in different marble and travertine options. Available in th...
Marble
Donald Laborie cubistic sculpture France 1988
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Wonderful and impressive sized sculpture by Donald Laborie made in his own atelier in France in 1988. This semi figurative sculpture is called ’The Accordionist” and is made from sol...
Hardwood
$2,561 / item
Unique Rustic Beige Vase by Maria Loram
By Maria Loram
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Rustic Beige Vase by Maria Loram Dimensions: W 35.6 x D 35.6 x H 21.6 cm Materials: Stoneware with a glazed finish. Colors: Gray. Custom dimensions and glaze finishes are ava...
Stoneware