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.
$8,949 / item
Drippy Stripe Sienna Hand Knotted Rug by Eskayel
Located in Geneve, CH
Drippy Stripe Sienna hand knotted rug by Eskayel Dimensions: D 6' x H 9' Pile Height: 6 mm Materials: 100% Merino wool. Eskayel hand knotted rugs are woven to order and can be customized in various sizes, colors, materials, and weave constructions. The concept for the Striped...
Wool
$8,279 / item
Bold Stripe Sandstone Hand Knotted Rug by Eskayel
Located in Geneve, CH
Bold Stripe sandstone hand knotted rug by Eskayel Dimensions: D 8' x H 10' Pile Height: 20 mm Materials: Merino wool, NZ wool. Eskayel hand knotted rugs are woven to order and ...
Wool
$20,827 / item
Moon 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
MOON 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, historic...
Wool, Silk
$12,560 / item
CF Chromosome P. 5YD by Caturegli Formica
Located in Geneve, CH
CF Chromosome P. 5YD by Caturegli Formica Dimensions: W 220 x L 180 cm Materials: Wool Carpets as deep information Carpets are very common items. But it has never really been...
Wool
$1,635 / item
Yellow Oci Left Rug by Seraina Lareida
Located in Geneve, CH
Yellow Oci Left Rug by Seraina Lareida Dimensions: W 70 x H 130 cm Materials: 100% New Zeland top-quality wool. Available in sizes Medium (110 x 200cm) and Large (150 x 280cm). A...
Wool
$5,717 / item
Dune Rug I by Vanessa Ordoñez
Located in Geneve, CH
Dune rug I by Vanessa Ordoñez Dimensions: D 300 x W 200 x H 1.5 cm Materials: bamboo fibers and linen A stunning collaboration of Vanessa Ordonez with Malcusa, this rug is part ...
Linen
$41,644 / item
Convex Rectangular 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
CONVEX Rectangular 400 Rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Please ...
Silk, Wood
$41,667 / item
Damien 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
DAMIEN 400 Rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Please contact us. ...
Silk, Wood
$10,778 / item
Portico Greyscale Hand-Knotted Rug by Eskayel
Located in Geneve, CH
Portico Greyscale Hand-Knotted Rug by Eskayel. Dimensions: D 8' x H 10'. Pile Height: 4 mm pile, 3mm loop. Materials: New Zealand wool. Eskayel hand-knotted rugs are woven to o...
Wool
$5,717 / item
Futuro Rug V by Vanessa Ordoñez
Located in Geneve, CH
Futuro rug V by Vanessa Ordoñez Dimensions: D 300 x W 200 x H 1.5 cm Materials: bamboo fibers and linen A striking design by Vanessa Ordoñez, this gorgeous rug will add sophisti...
Linen
$20,827 / item
Sahara 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
SAHARA 200 rug by Illulian. Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm. Materials: wool 50% , silk 50%. Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, his...
Wool, Silk
$2,140 / item
Colonnade 01 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr
Located in Geneve, CH
Colonnade 01 Rug by Cappelen DImyr Dimensions: D100 x H240 Materials: 85% wool, 15% cotton Colonnade no.01 has a soft irregular pattern that creates a vivid and intriguing feel....
Wool, Cotton
$20,827 / item
Kintsugi 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
KINTSUGI 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, his...
Wool, Silk
$20,839 / item
Kommando 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
KOMMANDO 200 Rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Please contact us...
Wool, Silk
$20,827 / item
Spike 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
SPIKE 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: wool 50%, silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histori...
Wool, Silk
$20,839 / item
CHLOE' Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
CHLOE' Rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Please contact us. I...
Silk, Wood
$4,269 / item
Tapestry no.03 by Cappelen Dimyr
Located in Geneve, CH
Tapestry no.03 by Cappelen Dimyr Dimensions: D120 x H120 cm Materials: 85% wool 15% cotton The irregular shaped Tapestry no.03 explores different yarns and techniques that creat...
Wool, Cotton
$19,005 / item
Curly 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
CURLY 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D 300 x H 200 cm Materials: Wool 80%, silk 20% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histo...
Silk, Wood
$20,839 / item
Kimono Clouds 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
Kimono Clouds 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D 300 x H 200 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulia...
Wool, Silk
$20,839 / item
Hydra 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
Hydra 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D 300 x H 200 cm Materials: Wool 50%, silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histo...
Wool, Silk
$2,483 / item
Ginger Rug by Janice Joostema
Located in Geneve, CH
Ginger rug by Janice Joostema. Dimensions: D 200 x W 200 cm Materials: Viscose, linen. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, in 1995, of Fijan and Dutch descent, Janice grew up ...
Linen
Proxima 400 Rug by Illulian, Wool and Silk, Post-Modern Design, Italy
Located in Geneve, CH
PROXIMA 400 rug by Illulian. Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm. Materials: wool 50%, silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, his...
Wool, Silk
$20,827 / item
Jasper 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
JASPER 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Please contact us. ...
Wool, Silk
$41,667 / item
Skyla 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
SKYLA 400 rug by Illulian. Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm. Materials: wool 50% , silk 50%. Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, hist...
Wool, Silk
$41,644 / item
Floris Magnolia 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
FLORIS MAGNOLIA 400 Rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulia...
Silk, Wood
$51,228 / item
Woodstock 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
WOODSTOCK 400 Rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Silk 100% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Please contact us. Ill...
Silk
$41,644 / item
Mariposa 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
MARIPOSA 400 Rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Please contact us...
Wool, Silk
$20,839 / item
Storm 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
STORM 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histori...
Wool, Silk
$41,667 / item
Raw 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
RAW 400 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Wool 50% , Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, historic...
Wool, Silk
$16,864 / item
Kyoto 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
KYOTO 200 Rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Wool 100% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Please contact us. Illulia...
Wool
$41,644 / item
MAKAO 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
MAKAO 400 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Wool 50% , Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histor...
Wool, Silk
$20,839 / item
Madama Butterfly 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
MADAMA BUTTERFLY 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Wool 50% , Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Please c...
Wool, Silk
$20,839 / item
Damien 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
DAMIEN 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histor...
Silk, Wood
$19,005 / item
Ecstasy 200 Rug by Illuliar
Located in Geneve, CH
ECSTASY 200 Rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Wool 80%, Silk 20% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histo...
Silk, Wood
$41,644 / item
HYDRA 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
HYDRA 400 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histor...
Wool, Silk
$41,644 / item
Ocean 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
OCEAN 400 rug by Illulian. Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm. Materials: wool 50%, silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histo...
Wool, Silk
$19,005 / item
Seven 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
SEVEN 200 rug by Illulian. Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm. Materials: wool 80%, silk 20% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histor...
Wool, Silk
$38,010 / item
Seven 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
SEVEN 400 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Wool 80%, Silk 20% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histori...
Wool, Silk
$20,839 / item
Raw 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
RAW 200 rug by Illulian. Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm. Materials: wool 50% , silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histor...
Wool, Silk
$1,446 / item
Large Green Rombo Rug by Studio MLR
Located in Geneve, CH
Large green Rombo rug by Studio MLR Materials: 65% wool, 35% jute. Dimensions: W 170 x L 240 cm Available in 3 sizes: W 90 x L 140, W 170 x L 240, W 75 x L 200 cm. Available in g...
Wool, Jute
$505 / item
Grey Rombo Runner Rug by Studio MLR
Located in Geneve, CH
Grey Rombo runner rug by Studio MLR Materials: 65% wool, 35% jute. Dimensions: W 75 x L 200 cm Available in 3 sizes: W90 x L140, W170 x L240, W75 x L200 cm. Available in grey, mo...
Wool, Jute
$446 / item
Small Grey Rombo Rug by Studio MLR
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Grey Rombo rug by Studio MLR. Materials: 65% wool, 35% jute. Dimensions: W 90 x L 140 cm Available in 3 sizes: W 90 x L 140, W 170 x L 240, W 75 x L 200 cm. Available in gr...
Wool, Jute
$38,010 / item
DIS 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
DIS 400 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Wool 80%, Silk 20% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, historic...
Silk, Wood
$41,667 / item
Chloe' 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
CHLOE' 400 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Wool 50%, Silk 50% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, histo...
Silk, Wood
$22,956 / item
CF Chromosome P. 48D by Caturegli Formica
Located in Geneve, CH
CF Chromosome P. 48D by Caturegli Formica Dimensions: W 220 x L 180 cm Materials: Silk Carpets as deep information Carpets are very common items. But it has never really been...
Silk
$6,962 / item
CF E2 by Caturegli Formica
Located in Geneve, CH
CF E2 by Caturegli Formica Dimensions: W 120 x L 100 cm Materials: Silk Carpets as deep information Carpets are very common items. But it has never really been clear if their...
Silk
$6,209 / item
Letter Rug III by Raul
Located in Geneve, CH
Letter rug III by Raul Dimensions: D 300 x W 200 cm Materials: viscose, linen Available in other colors. The ‘Letter’ rug comes from a series entitled...
Linen
$776 / item
Blue To Be Rug by Paolo Stella
By Paolo Stella
Located in Geneve, CH
Blue To Be rug by Paolo Stella Dimensions: D 60 x W 100 cm (Pile heigh: 1.2 - 3 cm) Materials: viscose, linen Available in other colors. “My first memory of a rug is Aladdin’s ...
Linen
$4,075 / item
Settanta Rug III by Giulio Brambilla
Located in Geneve, CH
Settanta rug III by Giulio Brambilla. Dimensions: D 300 x W 200 x H 1.5 cm. Materials: NZ wool, bamboo silk. Available in other colors. Boasting a modern geometric design of st...
Wool
$13,261 / item
Drippy Stripe Isthmus Hand Knotted Rug by Eskayel
Located in Geneve, CH
Drippy Stripe Isthmus hand knotted rug by Eskayel Dimensions: D 8' x H 10' Pile Height: 6 mm Materials: 100% Merino Wool Eskayel hand knotted rugs are woven to order and can be...
Wool
$5,045 / item
Baratro Rug III by Sarah Balivo
By Sarah Balivo
Located in Geneve, CH
Baratro rug III by Sarah Balivo. Dimensions: D 300 x W 200 cm Materials: Viscose, linen Available in other colors. The Baratro (‘Brink’) collection is all about personal and sensorial perception. Its aim is to evoke a sensation rather than revealing a pattern… hence anyone can sense a feeling of depth according to their emotional state, turning the rug into a subjective experience. The different chromatic juxtapositions – spanning from powdery colors to pop ones – create different visual perception, enhancing or alleviating the perceived weight of the brink. Italian Architect and Set Designer, Sarah is Born in 1988, in Aversa (Na- ples, Italy), where she lives and studies until she graduates in Architecture. In 2012 she moves to Milan to fulfil her dreams. And here she becomes a Set Desiger for the Fashion & Luxury world. Hereby she works for Fendi, Ferragamo and several other luxury brands. Other meaningful experiences – besides Milan and Paris fashion shows – are the Fendi show at Fontana di Trevi and the Fendi show at the Colosseum (both in Rome), as well as many important fashion...
Linen
Medium Yellow Gray Oci Rug Triptych by Seraina Lareida
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium yellow gray oci rug triptych by Seraina Lareida Dimensions: W 330 x H 200 cm Materials: 100% New Zeland top-quality wool. Available in sizes Small and Large. Also availabl...
Wool
$7,567 / item
White/Blue Handwoven Tapestry 240 by Calyah
Located in Geneve, CH
White/Blue handwoven tapestry 240 by Calyah Unique piece Materials: Tibetan wool and silk. Dimensions: 240 x 160 x 1 cm Colour: white/blue Also available in red/yellow, gold/ora...
Wool, Silk
$10,620 / item
Ribbon Medium Rug by Art & Loom
Located in Geneve, CH
Ribbon mediuml rug by Art & Loom Dimensions: D 274.3 x H 365.8 cm Materials: 100% New Zealand wool Quality (Knots per Inch): 60 Also available in different dimensions. Samantha Gall...
Wool
$19,003 / item
Roads Medium Rug by Art & Loom
Located in Geneve, CH
Roads Medium rug by Art & Loom Dimensions: D 274.3 x H 365.8 cm Materials: Allo & Chinese silk with fringe—(2) pile heights Quality (Knots per Inch): 100 Also available in different ...
Wool, Silk
$23,622 / item
White/Blue Handwoven Tapestry 400 by Calyah
Located in Geneve, CH
White/Blue Handwoven Tapestry 400 by Calyah Unique piece Materials: Tibetan wool and silk. Dimensions: 400 x 300 x 1 cm Colour: white/blue Also available in red/yellow, gold/orange, black/green. A signature presence for the home or public spaces, the Versus Edition of bicolour wall tapestries features rich and evocative hues derived from the presiding colour palette in Kathmandu. Designed by award-winning artist and 2019 Danish Designer of the Year, Margrethe Odgaard, each piece is individually hand-woven from wool and silk by expert artisans in Nepal. Through colour, materiality, and a unique Tibetan weaving method, the Versus tapestries bring a warm emotional presence into space. With beautiful coloured combinations, the interplay between Tibetan wool and Chinese silk...
Wool, Silk
Small Brick Brown Oci Rug Triptych by Seraina Lareida
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Brick Brown Oci rug Triptych by Seraina Lareida Dimensions: W 210 x H 130 cm Materials: 100% New Zeland top-quality wool. Brick brown, light pink ...
Wool
$10,426 / item
Cream You Rug by Paolo Stella
By Paolo Stella
Located in Geneve, CH
Cream You rug by Paolo Stella Dimensions: D 300cm (Pile height: 1.2 - 3 cm) Materials: viscose, linen Available in other color. “My first memory of a rug is Aladdin’s flying ca...
Linen
$7,865 / item
Lava Bubbles Small Rug by Art & Loom
Located in Geneve, CH
Lava Bubbles Small rug by Art & Loom Dimensions: D243.4 x H304.8 cm Materials:100% New Zealand wool Quality (Knots per Inch): 60 Also available in different dimensions. Samant...
Wool
$2,483 / item
Milan Geometric Rug by Janice Joostema
Located in Geneve, CH
Milan Geometric rug by Janice Joostema Dimensions: D 200 x W 200 cm Materials: viscose, linen Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, in 1995, of Fijan and Dutch descent, Janice g...
Linen