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 Postmodern Italian Zelig Table Lamp by Walter Monici for Lumina, 1990s
Located in Hamburg, DE
The table lamp version of the culinary of the Italian manufacturer Lumina after a design by Walter Monici from 1990. The elegance of the culinary is based on the game of asymmetry a...
Metal
$209 / item
Study Table Lamp by Msds Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Study table lamp by MSDS studio. Materials: Aluminum. Dimensions: D 13.4 x W 15.9 x H 22.7 cm. MSDS STUDIO is a successful Canadian design studio that...
Aluminum
$4,487Sale Price / set|50% Off
Pair of French Fondica Golden Bronze 90’s Table Lamps
By Stephane Galerneau, Fondica
Located in New York, NY
A sophisticated pair of golden bronze lamps with twisted coral column bodies. The sculptural French dore table lamps were designed by Stephane G...
Gold, Bronze
$348 / item
Big Spotty Lamp by Siup Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Big Spotty Lamp by Siup Studio. Dimensions: ?20 x H 40 cm Materials: glass and ceramics. One of a kind. All our lamps can be wired according to each country. Please contact us. Hand made...
Ceramic, Glass
1970s Red Manon Lamp by Yamada Shomei
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A perfectly Space Age foldable desk lamp that brings playful Japanese ingenuity to mid-century modern and postmodern design loves. Designed by Yamada Shomei in the 1970s, this iconic...
Metal
Postmodern Red Table Lamp by Veneta Lumi Italy 1970s
By Veneta Lumi
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Red Table Lamp by Veneta Lumi, Italy 1970s. Beautiful post modern Italian red lacquered metal Veneta Lumi desk lamp or table lamp. Rare design executed in very nice red lacqu...
Metal
Pair of 'Canna Fiorita' Table Lamps by Castiglioni & Menghi for Fontana Arte
By Roberto Menghi, Fontana Arte
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This pair of 'Canna Fiorita' table lamps by Piero Castiglioni and Roberto Menghi for Fontana Arte, produced in Italy in the early 1980s, embodies the experimental spirit of late-Mode...
Brass
Hala Zeist Halogen Table Lamp Post Modern 1980s Holland
By Hala Zeist
Located in Den Haag, NL
Very nice futuristic Post Modern Table lamp . Good quality lamp . Halogen ,comes with a good working dimmer .
Metal
Post Modern Metal Brass Vintage Table Lamp Osqar by Ygnacio Baranga, Italy, 1985
By Ygnacio Baranga
Located in Vienna, AT
Postmodern metal brass table lamp or light object named "Osqar" is a registered trademark International. This light object has flexible legs and arms ...
Metal, Brass, Steel
Gold in the Sun Table Lamp by Dominique Perrault & Gaëlle Lauriot-prévost
By Dominique Perrault & Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost
Located in Geneve, CH
Gold in the sun table lamp by Dominique Perrault & Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost Dimensions: D 13 x H 12.7 cm Materials: Steel, aluminum. All our lamps ca...
Aluminum, Steel
$2,465 / item
Shell Light by Touch With Eyes
Located in Geneve, CH
Shell Light by Touch With Eyes Dimensions: W 50 x D 50 x H 70 cm Materials: Metal- aluminum, mussels. Weight: 3 Kg. The light was made with shells found...
Metal
Vintage Table Lamp by Sacha Ketoff for Aluminor, France, 1980s
By Aluminor
Located in Hamburg, DE
Rare, postmodern table lamp from the French manufacturer Aluminor based on a design by Sacha Ketoff from the 80s. This design was created in a competition as part of the exhibition "...
Metal
Postmodern IKEA Table Lamp, Metal & Plastic, Memphis Style, 1980s
By IKEA
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern table lamp from Ikea from the 1980s. Made in Italy. Colored table lamp in Memphis style, made in Italy. Its postmodern design and color scheme are striking. Graphic eleme...
Metal
Mario Botta Pair of Vintage 'Shogun' Table Lamps for Artemide, 1986
By Artemide, Mario Botta
Located in Tilburg, NL
Exceptional pair of iconic vintage 'Shogun' Table Lamps by architect and designer Mario Botta (1943) for Artemide 1986. Straight from the first owners, these table lamps have always...
Metal
Folia Sculptural Cast Bronze and Brass Table Lamp by Federico Stefanovich
Located in Geneve, CH
Folia Sculptural Cast Bronze and Brass Table Lamp by Federico Stefanovich. Dimensions: W 33 x D 33 x H 48 cm. Material: Cast Bronze, Brass. All our lamps can be wired according to e...
Brass, Bronze
Modern Industrial Table Lamp with Burnished Aluminum Shade and Brass Hardware
Located in Treadwell, NY
Collection I: Disc lamp in burnished aluminum. Available in a matte black or softly burnished finish, the shade of the disc lamp can either fade into its surroundings or catch lig...
Aluminum, Brass
$195Sale Price|40% Off
Vintage Yellow Pencil Table Lamp Pop Art Style, 1980s
By Lightolier
Located in Amityville, NY
Vintage Yellow Pencil Table Lamp Pop Art Style, 1980s. This table lamp, in the form of an oversized pencil, is representative of the 1980s trend of making large versions of everyday ...
Wood
A Sculptural POST-MODERN LUCITE TABLE LAMP by ALESSIO TASCA, FUSINA, Italy 1970
Located in PARIS, FR
An exceptional and sculptural table lamp in prism, Post-Modernist, Seventies, Kinetic, Pop, body in a rectangular block of solid plexiglass with curved cut sides, forming a kind of p...
Lucite, Plexiglass
Vintage Postmodern Glass & Metal Table Lamp, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Large table lamp in postmodern design language. Imposing table lamp with large glass diffuser. The base of the lamp is resolved into three supports that sit on a simple plate base. ...
Metal
XL 80s Pop Art Desklamp In Postmodern Memphis Style, 80s, 90s
Located in Montecalvoli, IT
XL 80s Pop Art Desklamp in Postmodern Memphis Style, 80s, 90s Very nice and rare postmodern desk lamp. This vintage design object is in its original condi...
Metal
Sergio Giobbi & Patrizia Innocenti 'Sfera' Table Lamp in Yellow Acrylic
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Sergio Giobbi and Patrizia Innocenti for Metalmobili, 'Sfera' table lamp, acrylic, chrome-plated steel, cast aluminum, Italy, 1971 This radical designed table lamp is created by the...
Chrome, Aluminum, Steel
Memphis Style Wire Mesh Grid Lucite Table Lamps Post-Modern, Italy
Located in Vienna, AT
Pair of Wire Mesh Grid Lucite Table lamps Post-modern, Italy around 1980 sold as a pair Up for consideration is this post-modern pair of table lamps comprised of a metal grid mesh and a bent slab of translucent lucite. It casts a very subtle light. A very sculptural light in very good condition with hardly any signs of wear. Some minimal superficial scratches hardly noticeable. These lights cast an amazing light and are equipped with neon bulbs...
Metal
Rare Postmodern Helix Glass Table Lamp in the Manner of Karl Springer
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful rare and elegant glass staircase , helix table lamp in green glass with lucite base and chrome fittings in perfect working condition. no chips or cracks.
Chrome
Post Modern White Ceramic Shell Grotto Motif Table Lamp - 1980s
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A vintage post-modern white ceramic shell motif table lamp. Glazed in a crisp white ceramic, this light will add interest to any room. The overall ...
Metal
Postmodern Desk Lamp
Located in New York, NY
A Postmodern red and black adjustable desk lamp. Shade and base are a red enameled metal. Neck is adjustable. In fine working order for US electric.
Metal
VENINI Murano Glass "Totem" Floor or Table Lamp by Toso & Massari Italy 2001
By Venini, Toso, Massari & Associates, Gaetano Pesce, Renato Toso, Noti Massari
Located in Grand Cayman, KY
Rare Postmodern "Totem" floor or table lamp by Renato Toso, Noti Massari, and Associates for the premier Murano glassworks: Venini. Constructed of a diamond shaped metal base, under...
Metal, Stainless Steel
Meritalia Love Lamp by Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, ON
Created through a process that celebrates imperfection and unconventionality, the luminous objects by Edizioni del Pesce embody Gaetano Pesce's distinctive philosophy. Each luminous ...
Metal
$958Sale Price|20% Off
French Riviera style. Pineapple ceramic table lamp by Bassano, Italy, 1980s
By Cerámicas BONDIA, Bassano, Hispania CH
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Post-Modern and Hollywood Regency style ceramic table lamp by Bassano, Italy, 1980s. Hand-crafted in white glazed ceramic with brass structure, with its original pleated and wavy han...
Metal, Brass
'70s Modern Postmodern Brass Table Lamp, circa 1970s
By Paul Evans
Located in New York, NY
A '70s Modern Post-Modern period brass-plated table lamp with a chevron design, in the style of designer Paul Evans, circa 1970s. Lamp dimensions: 16" H to top of lamp body/21.25"...
Metal, Brass
Post Modern Ikea Rapid Halogen table lamp 1980s
By IKEA
Located in Den Haag, NL
What a great Design this table lamp . So elegant and minimalist . Halogen . Two light intensity levels. Model ''Rapid '' Ikea 1990s . very good condition . Please don't hesita...
Metal
Iconic “La Lune Sous Le Chapeau” Table Lamp by Man Ray
By Man Ray
Located in Weesp, NL
Discover the Iconic “La Lune Sous Le Chapeau” Table Lamp New‑Old‑Stock, 1980s, Sirrah Italy — Designed by Man Ray Illuminate Your Space with Surrealist Elegance Step into a world...
Metal
Memphis Style Postmodern Color Blocked Plaster Table Lamp, 1980's
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Memphis style color blocked table lamp, circa 1980's. This sculptural modern form lamp features a yellow fluted column with accents of purple, pink, ...
Plaster
Gabriella Crespi, Very Large "Fungo" Table Lamp, Brass, Acrylic, Italy, 1970s
Located in High Point, NC
A very large "Fungo" brass and acrylic table lamp designed and produced by Gabriella Crespi, Artist's Studio, Italy 1970s. Lamp features signatures on both the lampshade and on the ...
Brass
Orbis Table Lamp in Marble with Brass Lighting Fixture by Homa
Located in Geneve, CH
Orbis Table Lamp in Marble with Brass Lighting Fixture by Homa. Dimensions: W 20 x D 20 x H 40 cm. Materials: Marble, Green and Honey Onyx, Brass. All our lamps can be wired accordi...
Marble, Onyx, Brass
$2,599 / item
Chestnut Cicero 26 Table Lamp by Danny Kaplan Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Chestnut Cicero 26 Table Lamp by Danny Kaplan Studio Dimensions: ⌀ 41 x H 66 cm Materials: Glazed Ceramic, Unfinished Brass, Linen This item is handmade, and may exhibit variability...
Brass
$3,829 / item
Vardo Table Lamp in Aluminum by Animate Objects
Located in Geneve, CH
Vardo Table Lamp in Aluminum by Animate Objects. Dimensions: W 18 x D 18 x H 40 cm. Materials: Aluminum, Transparent Powder Coating, Beige Powder Coating. All our lamps can be wired...
Aluminum
Mies & van Gessel, table lamp mod. Ara for Quasar, 1990
By Quasar Khanh, Mies & van Gessel
Located in Saarbrücken, SL
Sculptural table lamp by Ullrich Mies and Annette van Gessel in solid polished cast aluminium. Annette von Gessel and Ullrich Mies designed an impressive sculptural table lamp, remi...
Aluminum
Robert Sonneman for George Kovacs Postmodern Halogen Desk Lamp, White, USA, 1980
By George Kovacs, Robert Sonneman
Located in San Carlos, CA
A sculptural postmodern desk lamp by Robert Sonneman for George Kovacs, produced in the late 1980s. The white enameled metal body is carried on twin columnar supports rising from an ...
Metal
1980s Super desk or floor lamp designed by Martine Bedin for Memphis Milano 1981
By Martine Bedin, Memphis Milano
Located in Offenburg, Baden Wurthemberg
post-modern Super lamp designed by Martine Bedin in 1981 for Memphis Milano manufactures in the 1980ies by Memphis Milano, with makers badge on bottom The Super lamp by the design...
Metal
Postmodern Italian Lulu Table Lamp from Veneta Lumi, 1980s
By Veneta Lumi
Located in Hamburg, DE
Small table lights from Veneta Lumi. The Lulu combines the classic luminaire shape with contemporary materiality. It is made of colored plastic. This piece has an attribution mark, ...
Plastic
Postmodern W.O. Table Lamp by Sacha Ketoff for Aluminor, France, 1980s
By Sacha Ketoff
Located in Hamburg, DE
Rare, postmodern table lamp from the French manufacturer Aluminor after a design by Sacha Ketoff from the 80s. This draft was created in a competition as part of the exhibition "Lum...
Metal
Postmodern German Table Lamp from Hillebrand, 1980s
By Hillebrand
Located in Hamburg, DE
Very rare table lamp from Hillebrand. The particularly flat glass shade with the large radius on the edge is striking. The round shade rests on a frame that is connected to the cyli...
Glass
Postmodern Italian Murano Mushroom Table Lamp
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Amazing vintage postmodern Italian Murano glass mushroom lamp. Features a fun white swirl through the glass.
Murano Glass
Midcentury Italian Postmodern Murano Vetri Glass Table Lamp in Pink & White
Pair of French 1980 Dominic Chambon Shagreen Table Lamps
Located in New York, NY
Pair of beautiful hand crafted French 1980s shagreen and brass lamp bodies with walnut based table lamps by designer , Dominic Chambon. Matching oval s...
Brass
Michel Aroutcheff, postmodern red Pencil table lamp, Ed. Vilac France 1980s
By Pierre Sala
Located in Firenze, IT
Postmodern red Crayon table lamp designed by Michel Aroutcheff Ed. Vilac France 1980s Neon light. Lacquered wood 51 cm H - 9 cm diam. Conditions: excellent, no defects
Wood
Mini Sky Set Sculptural Table Lamp in Glass and Stainless Steel by Dace Sūna
Located in Geneve, CH
Mini Sky Set Sculptural Table Lamp in Glass and Stainless Steel by Dace Sūna. Dimensions: D 32 x W 39 x H 38 cm. Materials: Glass, Stainless Steel, LED. All our lamps can be wired ...
Stainless Steel
Casual Lamps of California Furniture Monumental Aztec Pattern Hand Painted Lamp
Located in Lomita, CA
This is a rare find of an extremely large pottery lamp. The incised Mayan-theme etching of this monumental piece makes it a standout. It is precise and elegant, but most of all it is vintage, but still new. This lamp has never been used and is part of a collection of Casual Lamps of California...
Pottery, Terracotta
Mago Lamp in Aluminium and Frosted Glass by Animate Objects
Located in Geneve, CH
Mago Lamp in Aluminium and Frosted Glass by Animate Objects. Dimensions: W 18 x D 18 x H 28 cm. Materials: Aluminium, Frosted Glass. All our lamps can be wired according to each cou...
Aluminum
Pair of Vetri D‘Arte Murano Glass Mushroom Table Lamps, Italy, 1970s
Located in Hagenbach, DE
Pair of beautiful Italian table lamps by Vetri d‘Arte Murano. They have a extraordinary mushroom shape. Very good vintage condition. Works with both 120/220V. Free worldwide expre...
Murano Glass
$195Sale Price|40% Off
Vintage Red Pencil Table Lamp Pop Art Style, 1980s
By Lightolier
Located in Amityville, NY
Vintage Red Pencil Table Lamp Pop Art Style, 1980s. This table lamp, in the form of an oversized pencil, is representative of the 1980s trend of making large versions of everyday obj...
Wood
1980’s Italian Gilded Pottery Lamp by Emilia Palomba
Located in Chicago, IL
1980’s handmade Italian Brutalist pottery table lamp with acrylic base. Made by Emilia Palomba in her studio in Cagliari Sardinia. Signed
Pottery, Acrylic
Post-Modern Table Lamp by Jonas Hilde, 1980s
By Høvik Lys, Jonas Hidle
Located in Oslo, NO
Wonderful and minimalist table lamp on a brass frame with revolving lampshade. Designed by Jonas Hidle and made by Høvik Lys AS, Norway, circa 1980 second half. The lamp is a remarka...
Brass
$1,250 / set
Vintage Boho Glazed Ceramic Lamps - A Pair
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This striking pair of table lamps beautifully captures the sophisticated energy and bold color contrasts defining Postmodern design of the 1980s. Each lamp features a graceful, overs...
Brass
$3,991 / set
Set of 2 Mushroom Lamps by Casa Alfarera
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Mushroom lamps by Casa Alfarera Dimensions: D25 x H45.7 cm Materials: Stoneware, brass Each piece is unique. Variations might occur from item to item. All our lamps can be ...
Brass
Pine Table Lamp, Sweden 1970s
Located in NUEMBRECHT, NRW
Swedish design pine table lamp, 1970s This table lamp features a turned wooden base with intricate grooves and curves, characteristic of Scandinavian craftsmanship from that era. Th...
Pine
Set of 2 Postmodern Italian Virgo Table Lamps by Ilalia Gibertini, 1990s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Two rare table lights from the Italian manufacturer Nemo after a design by Ilaria Gibertini from the early 90s. A rarity that has not been on the market for years. The shape of the ...
Aluminum
$450 / set
1980s Sand Swirl Ceramic Table Lamps
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
USA, 1980s 1980s Sand Swirl Ceramic Table Lamps. Nice texture and soft color on these. They come with new off white linen empire shades. DIMENSIONS: Ceramic body is 8.5" Diameter x 1...
Ceramic, Linen
Roger Tallon for Erco 'Spot' Table Lamp
By Roger Tallon
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Roger Tallon for Erco, 'Spot' table lamp, plastic, aluminum, metal, France, 1972. This table lamp is an iconic design by the French designer Roger Tallon. The black and white lamp features bright red details and can be attached to a table top. The name of these industrial lamps is fitting as they resemble professional (much larger...
Metal, Aluminum
Postmodern Model Wings Table Lamp by Riccardo Raco for Slamp, 1990s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern table lamp from Slamp after a design by Riccardo Raco from the early 90s. The luminaire body serves as a diffuser and consists of the translucent plastic opalflex. The dr...
Metal