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.
Pair of Arfai Ceramic Table Lamps Portugal 1990s
Located in Debrecen, HU
Elegant pair of Portuguese ceramic table lamps produced by Arfai Ceramics in the 1990s. These sculptural lamps combine clean geometric lines with handcrafted ceramic surfaces, creati...
Ceramic, Fabric
$2,204Sale Price / set|20% Off
Post-Modern table lamps by Bruno Gecchelin for Skipper and Pollux, Italy, 1980s
By Skipper and Pollux, Bruno Gecchelin
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Pair of Italian table lamps attributed to Bruno Gecchelin, 1980s. Made of perforated metal lacquered in black and circular glass diffuser finished in 4 different tones, embodying the...
Metal
Pipe Dream Table Lamp, Multicolor sculptural postmodern functional art, light
By Luft Tanaka
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rough and tumble yet inherently sculptural, the Pipe Dream Series reveals the raw beauty of industrial materials. Composed of aluminum pipes and fittings, each piece exposes its stru...
Aluminum
$1,394 / item
Gemelle #1 Recycled Clay Lamp by Elisa Uberti
Located in Geneve, CH
Gemelle #1 Recycled Clay Lamp by Elisa Uberti Unique Piece Dimensions: D 15 x W 34 x H 51 cm. Materials: Clay. This product is handmade; dimensions may vary. Please contact us. Aft...
Clay
Postmodern Philips Table Lamp 1980s
By Philips
Located in Čelinac, BA
Philips Postmodern Table Lamp Germany 1980s
Plastic
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
Postmodern Model Z-Lite Zig Zag Flexible Table Lamp, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern table lamp with a transformable design. The Z-Lite or Zig Zag desk lamp is characterized by its complex construction and versatility. It ...
Metal
Bloom Clay Table Lamp by Harshita Jhamtani Designs
Located in Geneve, CH
Bloom Clay Table Lamp by Harshita Jhamtani Designs Dimensions: D 16.5 x H 17.8 cm Materials: Stoneware clay. Available in Egg White, Blush Pink, and Charcoal Black. Please contact u...
Clay, Stoneware
Postmodern Heron Lamp by Isao Hosoe for Luxo
By Isao Hosoe
Located in Oslo, NO
Iconic table lamp designed by Isao Hosoe for the Norwegian lamp maker Luxo. Moulded plastic in a lacquered silver coating. The lamp is fully working and in ...
Plastic
Set of 2 Complementary Pêle-mêle Table Lamps by Daniel Schneiger
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Complementary Pêle-Mêle Table Lamps by Daniel Schneiger One of a Kind. Shade not included. Dimensions: D 15,3 x W 23 x H 45,8 cm (each). Materials: Cast from gypsum plaster....
Plaster
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
$1,295 / set
Postmodern Plaster Table Lamps, a Pair
Located in Bradenton, FL
A pair of postmodern urn shaped table lamps made of plaster. Shoulders are embossed with a textured pattern of green and light blush hexagons. Below, the body is concertina shaped, p...
Linen, Plaster
Beige Ceramic Josef Table Lamp by Simone & Marcel
Located in Geneve, CH
Beige Ceramic Josef Table Lamp by Simone & Marcel Dimensions: Ø 30 x H 41.5 cm. Materials: Brass, cotton and ceramic. Also available in different marble, wood and alabaster options ...
Brass
$1,763Sale Price|20% Off
Huge Venini Post-Modern handl-blown murano glass table lamp. Italy, 1970s
By Venini
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Large Italian table lamp made of thick Murano glass, manufactured by Venini in the 70s, Venice. Mushroom-shaped, handcrafted in soft cream-tone glass with swirling details in white a...
Metal, Steel, Chrome
Tabla table lamp by Mario Barbaglia & Marco Colombo for Italiana Luce, 1988.
By Mario Barbaglia and Marco Colombo, Italiana Luce
Located in Athens, Attiki
Tabla table lamp by Mario Barbaglia & Marco Colombo for Italiana Luce, 1988. Tabla has an extendable adjustable arm, made of lightweight polycarbonate plastic, that pivots on the pea...
Metal
No. 21 Pink Fringes Dip Dyed Contemporary Art Table Lamp by Sander Bottinga
Located in Geneve, CH
Pink charme table lamp, Sander Bottinga Dimensions: H 73 x W 38 x D 25 cm Handmade in brass, leather, wood and dip dyed colored Fringes in viscose. The movable arms makes it pos...
Brass
Mario Botta Pair of Vintage 'Shogun' Table Lamps for Artemide, 1986
By Mario Botta, Artemide
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
Meritalia Moss Lamp / Black 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
Vintage French Model Dum-Dum Egg Glass Table Lamp from SCE, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Table lamp in the form of the French manufacturer SCE. The elegant glass diffuser shows the shape of a simple egg. In addition to the function as a functional light source, this lam...
Glass
$1,090 / item
Green Marble Pura Table Lamp by Simone & Marcel
Located in Geneve, CH
Green Marble Pura Table Lamp by Simone & Marcel Dimensions: Ø 40 x H 58 cm. Materials: Brass, cotton and green marble. Also available in different marble, wood and alabaster options...
Marble, Brass
Small Rio Travertine Table Lamp by Harshita Jhamtani Designs
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Rio Travertine Table Lamp by Harshita Jhamtani Designs Dimensions: D 15.2 x H 17.8 cm Materials: Travertine. Available in Green Forest marble, Sandstone, Travertine, or White ...
Travertine
Postmodern Mushroom Glass Table Lamp, Italy
Located in Hamburg, DE
Imposing glass table lamp of Italian origin. Screen and foot of the luminaire are made of colored glass and show a circumferential groove structure. In contrast to the violet glass ...
Metal
$835Sale Price|20% Off
Small Italian Table Lamp in Red
Located in Vienna, Austria
This table lamp is made in solid metal, red lacquered for one light with 25 Watt.
Metal
Lovoa Trichilioides Tree African Walnut Lumen Table Lamp by Hodan Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Lovoa Trichilioides Tree African Walnut Lumen Table Lamp by Hodan Design Dimensions: W 73 x D 20 x H 10 cm Materials: Lovoa Trichilioides Tree African Walnut. Finish color: Charred b...
Walnut
Memphis Style Modern Bedside Lamps Table Lamp Black White Glass 1990s
Located in Vienna, AT
Memphis Style Post- Modern style bedside lamps or table lamps from black and white glass and brassed metal 1990s Italy. Fantastic bedside lamps or table lamps from black and white gl...
Glass
$5,850 / set
Pair of Murano Glass Lamps by Vetri
Pair of Murano glass lamps by Vetri. Large pair of Postmodern Murano glass pyramid or triangular shaped lamps. This unusual and rare pair of Italian lamps was manufactured by Vetri, ...
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
$4,429 / item
Florian Table Lamp by Arcahorn
Located in Geneve, CH
Florian Table Lamp by Arcahorn Dimensions: D 24 x W 50 x H 64 cm Materials: Horn, stainless steel. Table lamp in horn and stainless steel with exposed screws. Lampshade in ivory sha...
Stainless Steel
Serge Roche Attr. Banana Leaf Table Lamps, a Pair
By Serge Roche
Located in Bradenton, FL
A pair of postmodern ‘banana leaf’ table lamps attributed to Serge Roche. Plaster vases are pressed to give the look of earthenware and are decorated...
Plaster
Table Lamp “Praxi” by Bruno Gecchelin for iGuzzini, Italy, 1982
By iGuzzini
Located in Hagenbach, DE
This is the iconic “Praxi” table lamp designed by Bruno Gecchelin for iGuzzini, Italy, in 1982. A hallmark of 1980s Italian industrial design, the lamp features a sleek, articulated ...
Aluminum, Metal
$1,206Sale Price|20% Off
Golden limited edition. Table lamp by Jorge Pensi for B-Lux, Spain, 1980s
By Jorge Pensi
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Post-Modern and Hollywood Regency style table lamp designed by Jorge Pensi for the Spanish brand B-Lux, 1980s. Made of polished injected aluminum, and chrome plated in gold. The shad...
Metal, Aluminum, Brass, Chrome
$3,644 / item
Unique Hand-dyed Aurora Lamp by Mythology
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Hand-dyed Aurora Lamp by Mythology Dimensions: D 45 x H 59 cm Materials: 100% organic, Fairtrade, GOTS-certified silk. Hand-dyed using turmeric root and powder, the pattern em...
Other
Flab Clay Table Lamp by Harshita Jhamtani Designs
Located in Geneve, CH
Flab Clay Table Lamp by Harshita Jhamtani Designs Dimensions: D 16.5 x H 17.8 cm Materials: Stoneware clay. Available in Egg White, Blush Pink, and Charcoal Black. Please contact us...
Clay, Stoneware
$1,485Sale Price / set|20% Off
Post-Modern style. Sculptural ceramic table lamps, Spain, 1980s
By Hispania CH, Cerámicas BONDIA
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Sculptural ceramic table lamps, Spain, 1980s. Made of ceramic with an abstract shape similar to a rock, with a light gray glazed finish and hand-painted with splashes of black paint....
Ceramic, Opaline Glass, Paint
$956Sale Price / set|25% Off
Pair of French Postmodern Table Lamps by Robert Kostka Enameled Forest Green
Located in San Diego, CA
Fantastic rare pair of enameled forest green Memphis era postmodern table lamps, by Robert Kostka excellent condition hard to find. screw top to put shades . freshly rewired to US st...
Metal
$1,104 / item
Walnut Peono Table Lamp by Simone & Marcel
Located in Geneve, CH
Walnut Peono Table Lamp by Simone & Marcel Dimensions: Ø 40.6 x H 61 cm. Materials: Brass, acrylic and walnut wood. Also available in different marbl...
Brass
$746Sale Price|25% Off
Postmodern Halogen Table Lamp Style of Robert Sonneman for George Kovacs
By George Kovacs, Robert Sonneman
Located in Topeka, KS
Marvelous vintage Postmodern halogen table lamp style of Robert Sonneman for George Kovacs with brass plated double shaft, chrome plated capitals, black painted metal top & base, dimmer switch, and halogen lamp. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that this is vintage and not new so will have signs of use and wear even if it has been refinished or restored. No outstanding flaws we have found. Please see photos, zoom in for details, and see long description as they are part of the condition report. We attempt to portray any imperfections. Circa, Late 20th Century. Oh ya… we can definitely see a light at the end of the tunnel!! And it’s a GORGEOUS vintage halogen table lamp...
Metal
$1,200 / set
Pair of Post-Modern Artichoke Table Lamps 1980s
By Laurel Lamp Company, Jonathan Adler
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful and sculptural set of ceramic artichoke lamps. Although post-modern in essence, these lamps resonate with a variety of styles from modernist, coastal to organic modern. T...
Ceramic
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
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce '609' Table Lamp in White Aluminum and Cast Iron
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, table lamp, model ‘609’, enameled aluminum, bakelite, cast iron, steel, Italy, 1973 A design by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, table lamp model 609 created ...
Aluminum, Steel, Iron
Aha Table Lamp by Demeter, France, c.1980
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT This rare 1980s French postmodern "Aha" table lamp, designed by Olivier Verlet for Demeter, features an ingenious articulated body crafted from a heavy-duty aluminum folding d...
Aluminum, Brass
$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
Italian Postmodern Model Pao T2 Table Lamp by Matteo Thun for Arteluce, 1990s
By Arteluce
Located in Hamburg, DE
The large T2 table lamp version from the Pao lamp series by Matteo Thun. The Pao lamps captivate with their characteristic diffuser made of frosted glass. However, it is rather the ...
Glass, Wood
Claudio Salocchi for Lumenform Post-Modern 'Tulpa' Table Lamp
By Claudio Salocchi, Lumenform
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Claudio Salocchi for Lumenform, 'Tulpa' lamp, marble, steel, chrome-plated steel, methacrylate, Italy, 1971 Designed in 1971 by the Italian architect and industrial designer Claudio...
Marble, Steel, Chrome
Memphis Milano Super Lamp, Blue by Martine Bedin
By Memphis Milano, Martine Bedin
Located in Toronto, ON
Demonstrating the playful spirit of Memphis, Martine Bedin's Super can be dragged along like a puppy on a leash (with a back arched like a stegosaurus' armour). Super consists of a f...
Metal
$1,546 / item
Green Marble Peona Table Lamp by Simone & Marcel
Located in Geneve, CH
Green Marble Peona Table Lamp by Simone & Marcel Dimensions: Ø 40 x H 61 cm. Materials: Brass, cotton and green marble. Also available in different marble, wood and alabaster option...
Marble, Brass
No. 11 Circle Blue Grey Contemporary Art Floor Lamp by Sander Bottinga
Located in Geneve, CH
Light object, floor lamp, circle blue grey Handmade in brass, leather, wood and hand printed and painted linen. A dimmer is inlaid with leather Dimensions: H 130 x W 27 x D 16 cm ...
Brass
$1,220 / item
Caramel Medium Sonora Linen Table Lamp by NASSI
Located in Geneve, CH
Caramel Medium Sonora Linen Table Lamp by NASSI Dimensions: W 35 x D 35 x H 58 cm. Materials: Lampshade: coated iron, warm white Cotton Lining. Base: wood-fired clay with beeswax fi...
Clay, Cotton
$626 / item
Babka Table Lamp by Di Fretto
Located in Geneve, CH
Babka Table Lamp by Di Fretto Dimensions: ⌀ 14 x H 53 cm (measure without lampshade) Materials: White Faience (not glazed) The Babka table lamp is a twist i...
Faience
Ernesto Gismondi for Artemide First Edition 'Sintesi' Red Clamp Light
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ernesto Gismondi for Artemide, multi-way clamp lamp, model 'Sintesi Faretto Morsetto', first edition, coated iron, coated steel, aluminum, rubber, plastic, Italy, design 1976 The fo...
Metal, Iron
$1,208 / item
White Alabaster Edna Table Lamp by Simone & Marcel
Located in Geneve, CH
White Alabaster Edna Table Lamp by Simone & MarcelMarcel Dimensions: D 15 x W 44 x H 46 cm. Materials: Cotton, brass and white alabaster. Also available in different marbles and cer...
Alabaster, Brass
$5,429 / item
Horizon #5 Stoneware Lamp by Elisa Uberti
Located in Geneve, CH
Horizon #5 stoneware lamp by Elisa Uberti Unique Limited series of 8 numbered copies + 1 AP Dimensions: D 40 x W 20 x H 65 cm Materials: white Stoneware This product is handmade...
Stoneware
$5,615 / item
Bud Table Lamp by Atelier Demichelis
Located in Geneve, CH
Bud table lamp by Atelier Demichelis Limited edition of 20 pieces, numbered and signed Dimensions: D 40 x H 71 cm Materials: Br...
Bronze
Meritalia Alda Lamp, Small 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
Small Rio Sandstone Table Lamp by Harshita Jhamtani Designs
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Rio Sandstone Table Lamp by Harshita Jhamtani Designs Dimensions: D 15.2 x H 17.8 cm Materials: Sandstone. Available in Green Forest marble, Sandstone, Travertine, or White ma...
Sandstone
A RADICAL POST-MODERN "Gerbe" TABLE LAMP, in MARIA PERGAY Style, France 1970
Located in PARIS, FR
A radical and powerful tripod table lamp in the "sheaf" style, Post-Modernist, Psychedelic, Space-Age, Seventies, in 2 thick strips of solid steel bolted with cubic bolts, in the sty...
Metal
Meritalia Moss Lamp / White 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
$1,360 / item
Ne600 Mat Lamp by MLK Furniture
Located in Geneve, CH
Ne600 Mat Lamp by MLK Furniture Dimensions: D 20 x W 20 x H 63 cm. Materials: Stainless steel, acrylic. Available in mat, or mat and mirror. Also available in brass, copper, or stai...
Stainless Steel
$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
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
Vintage Postmodern Italian Nestore Table Lamp by Carlo Forcolini, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Elegant table lamp from the Italian lighting manufacturer Artemide after a design by Carlo Forcolini from the late 1980s. The lights of the Nestore series impress with their eleganc...
Metal