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.
$6,166 / item
Surf Blue Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Surf Blue Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and bamboo. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, 200 x 300 cm, 250...
Wool, Bamboo
$1,002 / item
Hand Tufted Block Rug by Hatsu
Located in Geneve, CH
Hand Tufted Block Rug by Hatsu. Dimensions: D 213 x W 152.4 cm Materials: Wool. Hatsu is a design studio based in Mumbai that creates modern lighting that are unique and immediatel...
Wool
Postmodern Designer Rug, hand- knotted 100% wool, India 1990s
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a gorgeous Postmodern rug with abstract pattern. It features a beautiful palette of colours, from medium dark grey, severa...
Wool
$3,120Sale Price|20% Off
New Post-Modern Transitional Pink-Gray Area Rug with Contemporary Feminine Style
Located in Dallas, TX
30330 New Modern Transitional Pink-Gray Area Rug with Contemporary Feminine Style, 09'00 x 11'08. Soft and sumptuous, this transitional area rug transforms any interior it graces int...
Wool, Silk
$5,129 / item
Elm Kilim 15 Rug by ETHNİCLOOM
Located in Geneve, CH
Elm Kilim 15 Rug by ETHNİCLOOM Dimensions: W 220 x H 330 cm Materials: Wool Weave. The Founder Ethnicloom was founded as a natural continuation of its creator, Elif Gönensay’s lif...
Wool
$1,079Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage Berber Boucherouite Moroccan Shag Rug, Hallway Runner with Tribal Style
Located in Dallas, TX
77356, Vintage Berber Boucherouite Moroccan runner with Postmodern Tribal style, Shag Hallway runner 04'04 x 10'00. This hand knotted wool vintage Berber Boucherouite Moroccan runner...
Wool
Norden Hide Squiggle Rug Crafted in New Zealand Wool by Okej Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Norden Hide Squiggle Rug Crafted in New Zealand Wool by Okej Studio Dimensions: W 150 x L 210 cm. Materials: Wool. Available in different colors and size options. Prices may vary. ...
Wool
$5,211 / item
Blue Crystal Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Blue Crystal Rug by Gandia Blasco Design by MUT Design Dimensions: W 190 x H 260 cm. Materials: 100% wool. Weight: 14.8 kg Passion for life outdoors, a dream come true on the edge ...
Wool
The Fractured Continuum: Modern Moroccan Masterpiece of Deconstructivist Rhythm
By Peter Eisenman, Berber Tribes of Morocco
Located in Dallas, TX
80563 New Contemporary Pakistani Moroccan Rug, 10'00 x 13'11. The Fractured Continuum: A Modern Moroccan Masterpiece of Deconstructivist Rhythm. At once cerebral and inviting, this hand knotted wool Moroccan rug from Pakistan embodies a rare convergence of nomadic warmth and intellectual design. Its presence feels intentional—an object that doesn’t simply occupy space, but reshapes it. Rooted in Berber visual language yet refracted through a postmodern lens, this exquisite work of art speaks to collectors who seek pieces that challenge convention while retaining a sense of grounded authenticity. The striking composition unfolds in layered bands of beige and blue, where abrash creates a shifting, almost atmospheric terrain. These horizontal striations establish a quiet continuity, evoking the passage of time, landscape, and memory. Within this ground, the diamond lattice emerges—an iconic symbol of protection and femininity in Moroccan tradition—its repetition suggesting continuity, lineage, and the safeguarding of life’s inner spaces. Interrupting this order, elongated chevron bands descend vertically in a sequence of fine zigzag lines, disrupting the field with calculated tension. This interplay between horizontal calm and vertical intervention introduces a deliberate fracture, echoing the principles of deconstructivist thought—where structure is questioned, fragmented, and reassembled. The result is an avant-garde creation that feels alive with movement, a visual dialogue between stability and disruption, tradition and reinterpretation. Its graphic clarity and conceptual depth make it particularly compelling within interiors shaped by architectural rigor and philosophical intent. One can easily imagine it grounding a space influenced by the intellectual frameworks of Peter Eisenman...
Wool
1990’s Colorful Purple Beni MGuild Berber Moroccan Carpet with Modern Style
By Berber Tribes of Morocco, Beni M'Guild
Located in Dallas, TX
20959 Vintage Purple Beni MGuild Moroccan Rug, 06'01 x 09'04. Crafted by the skilled hands of Berber women from the Ait M'Guild tribe in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Beni Mguild r...
Wool
Rustic 400 Rug by Illulian, Wool and Silk, Post-Modern Design, Italy
Located in Geneve, CH
RUSTIC 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
$4,464 / item
Relieff Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Relieff Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and bamboo. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, 200 x 300 cm, 250 x...
Wool, Bamboo
$6,166 / item
Dahlia Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Dahlia Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and bamboo. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, 200 x 300 cm, 250 x ...
Wool, Bamboo
$6,936 / item
Uma Terracotta Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Uma Terracotta Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and viscose. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200...
Other
Memphis "California" Rug by Nathalie du Pasquier, Hand-Knotted, 1983
Located in Tinton Falls, NJ
CALIFORNIA, the rug created by Nathalie Du Pasquier in 1983, reflects the designer’s creativity: it is a festival of different visual stimuli gathered over the years, presented here ...
Wool
$5,129 / item
No.18 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr
Located in Geneve, CH
No.18 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr Dimensions: D 230 x H 280 cm (excl. fringes) Materials: 85% wool, 15% cotton Colonnade no.09 & Rug no.18 is a grey-brown flat-w...
Wool, Cotton
Cloud Blue Squiggle Rug Crafted in New Zealand Wool by Okej Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Cloud Blue Squiggle Rug Crafted in New Zealand Wool by Okej Studio Dimensions: W 150 x L 180 cm. Materials: Wool. Available in different colors and size options. Prices may vary. C...
Wool
$1,600Sale Price|20% Off
Walter Van Beirendonck & Ikea "Glödande" limited edition tiger rug, 2016
By IKEA
Located in STRASBOURG, FR
Rare limited edition “Glödande” tiger rug designed by Walter Van Beirendonck for Ikea in 2016. In beautiful condition, professionally cleaned.
Latex, Polyester
$2,273 / item
Hav Maroon Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Hav Maroon Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 200 x L 300 cm. Materials: Wool. Available in four size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, an...
Wool
$10,713 / item
Whitney Caccia Modello Edit Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D.
Located in Geneve, CH
Whitney Caccia Modello Edit Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D. Dimensions: W 243 x L 300 cm. Materials: Wool, silk. Available in W170 x L215, W190 x L235, W210 x L245, W243 x L300 cm. Atelie...
Wool, Silk
$9,302 / item
Nude Round Mirage Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Nude Round Mirage Rug by Gandia Blasco Design by Patricia Urquiola Dimensions: W 210 x H 300 cm. Materials: Fiber composition: 100% wool. Weight: 20,2 kg Passion for life outdoors...
Wool
$4,266 / item
Large Green Busy Backstitch Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Green Busy Backstitch Rug by Gandia Blasco Design by Raw-Edges Dimensions: W 200 x 300 cm. Materials: 100% wool. Weight: 10,14 kg Passion for life o...
Wool
Organic Shape Hand-Dyed Turqoise & Cognac European Sheepskin Rug by Carine Boxy
Located in Geneve, CH
Organic Shape Hand-Dyed Turqoise & Cognac European Sheepskin Rug by Carine Boxy Dimensions: 300 x 268 cm Materials: Naturally dyed sheepskin. Size and color can be customized upon re...
Sheepskin
$3,812 / item
Black & White Giro Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Black & White Giro Rug by Gandia Blasco Design by MUT Design Dimensions: W 132 x H 324 cm. Materials: 100% wool. Weight: 18,5 kg Passion for life outdoors, a dream come true on the...
Wool
$5,211 / item
Neutral Crystal Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Neutral Crystal Rug by Gandia Blasco Design by MUT Design Dimensions: W 190 x H 260 cm. Materials: 100% wool. Weight: 14.8 kg Passion for life outdoors, a dream come true on the ed...
Wool
$6,166 / item
Frame Brown Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Frame Brown Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and bamboo silk. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, 200 x 300 ...
Wool, Silk, Bamboo
$28,339 / item
Wetland Rug by Estudio Raffreyre
Located in Geneve, CH
Wetland rug by Estudio Raffreyre Dimensions: W 500 x 800 cm Materials: Hanging Fibers ESTUDIO RF is located in Lima, Peru. We are dedicated to the research of the contemporary h...
Other
$9,438 / item
Rock Paper Edge Small Rug by Art & Loom
Located in Geneve, CH
Rock Paper Edge small rug by Art & Loom Dimensions: D243.4 x H304.8 cm Materials: 100% New Zealand wool Quality (Knots per Inch): 80 Also available...
Wool
$20,645 / item
Stella 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
STELLA 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, hist...
Wool, Silk
No. 2 Freeplay Hand Knotted Rug Ensemble by Lyk Carpet
Located in Geneve, CH
No. 2 Freeplay hand knotted Rug Ensemble by Lyk Carpet. Dimensions: L 180 x H 290 cm. Materials: 100% handspun, Tibetan highland new wool, obtained from living sheep, traditionally...
Wool
BC Graffiti Rug by Caturegli Formica, Wool, Post-Modern Design, Italy
Located in Geneve, CH
Bc Graffiti 1989-90 by Caturegli Formica. Dimensions: W 175 x L 250 cm Materials: Wool Carpets as deep information Carpets are very common items. But it has never really been...
Wool
Eco-Friendly Regenerated Nylon Rabisco Rug by Studio Orth
Located in Geneve, CH
Eco-Friendly Regenerated Nylon Rabisco Rug by Studio Orth Dimensions: W 350 x L 250 x H 3 cm Materials: eco-friendly regenerated nylon (ECONYL®) About: Studio Orth is a multidiscip...
Nylon
$5,630 / item
Regenerated Nylon Areia Rug by Studio Orth
Located in Geneve, CH
Regenerated Nylon Areia Rug by Studio Orth Dimensions: W 300 x D 179 x H 3 cm Materials: eco-friendly regenerated nylon (ECONYL®) About: Studio Orth is a multidisciplinary furnitur...
Nylon
$6,166 / item
Rosè Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Rosè Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and bamboo. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, 200 x 300 cm, 250 x 35...
Wool, Bamboo
$1,643 / item
Natural Belize Carpet by Massimo Copenhagen
Located in Geneve, CH
Natural belize carpet by Massimo Copenhagen. Materials: 100% Sisal. Dimensions: W 240 x H 320 cm. Available colors: Taupe and Natural. Other dimensions are available: 90x200 cm, ...
Other
$6,936 / item
Uma Green Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Uma Green Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and viscose. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, 200 x 300 cm, 25...
Other
$6,166 / item
Mint Chocolate Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Mint Chocolate Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and bamboo. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, 200 x 300 cm...
Wool, Bamboo
$3,532 / item
Tsuchi Brown Goz Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Tsuchi Brown Goz Rug by Gandia Blasco Design by Kengo Kuma Dimensions: W 176 x H 240 cm. Materials: Wool, teak wood. Weight: 11,86 kg Passion for life outdoors, a dream come true ...
Wool, Teak
$6,470 / item
No.08 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr
Located in Geneve, CH
No.08 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr Dimensions: D290 x H350 cm Materials: 85% wool 15% cotton no.08 is a true eclectic statement piece celebrating the understated lush aesthetics of Cappele...
Wool, Cotton
$7,006 / item
No.07 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr
Located in Geneve, CH
No.07 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr Dimensions: D290 x H350 cm Materials: 85% wool 15% cotton no.07 is an homage to the understated bohemian elegance that ...
Wool, Cotton
$15,190 / item
Kalypto Hand-Knotted Rug by Eskayel
Located in Geneve, CH
Kalypto Hand-Knotted Rug by Eskayel. Dimensions: D 10' x H 8'. Pile Height: 4 mm. Materials: 50% New Zealand wool, 50% silk. Eskayel hand-knotted...
Wool, Silk
No. 217 Hand-Knotted Textile Poster by Lyk Carpet
Located in Geneve, CH
No. 217 hand-knotted textile poster by Lyk Carpet Homage to the Bauhauswomen Dimensions: W 48 x L 58 cm. Materials: 100% tibetan highland-wool, new pure hand-combed and hand-spun woo...
Wool
$2,273 / item
Aurorix Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Aurorix Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 200 x L 300 cm. Materials: Wool and cotton. Available in four size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, and 200 x 300 cm. Al...
Wool, Cotton
$6,936 / item
Urd Lillic Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Urd Lillic Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and tencel. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, 200 x 300 cm, 25...
Other
No. 1 Freeplay Hand Knotted Rug Ensemble by Lyk Carpet
Located in Geneve, CH
No. 1 Freeplay hand knotted rug ensemble by Lyk Carpet Dimensions: L 180 x H 260 cm. Materials: 100% handspun, Tibetan highland new wool, obtained from living sheep, traditionally ...
Wool
$8,207 / item
Quotidiana Corinth Hand Knotted Rug by Eskayel
Located in Geneve, CH
Quotidiana Corinth hand knotted Rug by Eskayel Dimensions: D 5' x H 8' Pile Height: 4 mm Materials: Matka silk, wool. Eskayel hand knotted rugs are woven to order and can be cu...
Wool, Silk
$13,464 / item
Terrazzo Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D.
Located in Geneve, CH
Terrazzo Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D. Dimensions: W 243 x L 300 cm. Materials: Wool, silk. Available in D170, D200, D240, W140 x L220, W200 x L200, W170 x L2...
Wool, Silk
$4,464 / item
Eon Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Eon Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and bamboo. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, 200 x 300 cm, 250 x 350...
Wool, Bamboo
Midnight Black Squiggle Rug Crafted in New Zealand Wool by Okej Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Midnight Black Squiggle Rug Crafted in New Zealand Wool by Okej Studio Dimensions: W 245 x L 335 cm. Materials: Wool. Available in different colors and size options. Prices may var...
Wool
$2,821 / item
Red/Yellow Handwoven Tapestry by Calyah
Located in Geneve, CH
Red/Yellow Handwoven Tapestry by Calyah Unique piece Materials: Tibetan wool and silk. Dimensions: 170 x 65 x 1 cm Colour: red/yellow Also available in gold/orange, white/blue, ...
Wool, Silk
$41,280 / item
Madama Butterfly 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
MADAMA BUTTERFLY 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 c...
Wool, Silk
$22,476 / item
Huesos Tapestry by Lilia Corona
Located in Geneve, CH
Huesos tapestry by Lilia Corona One of a kind. Dimensions: W 100 x D 1 x H 700 cm. Materials: virgin wool, cotton fabric. The handmade rug in 100% virgin wool, is made in double-height shaved fabric with sections sculptured and percitho-type terry cloth. With a weight of 2,700 Kgs/m2 of wool, woven on fabric cotton base. Designed by Lilia Corona, 2016 CDMX for Platalea Studio...
Wool, Fabric, Cotton
$3,299 / item
Hand-Knotted Textile Poster #10 by Lyk Carpet
Located in Geneve, CH
Hand-Knotted textile poster #11 by Lyk carpet One of a kind. Dimensions: W 140 x L 164 cm. Materials: 100% hand-spun tibetan highland wool from living sheep, traditionally plant-dyed, pot-dyed. Manual techniques and traditional pot-dying makes every piece unique, slight variations in size & tone are possible. Designs #9, #10 and #11 expand the graphic tapestry...
Wool
$3,532 / item
Ame Beige Goz Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Ame Beige Goz Rug by Gandia Blasco Design by Kengo Kuma Dimensions: W 176 x H 240 cm. Materials: Wool, teak wood. Weight: 11,18 kg Passion for life outdoors, a dream come true on ...
Wool, Teak
$1,853 / item
Colonnade no.08 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr
Located in Geneve, CH
Colonnade no.08 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr Dimensions: D 85 x H 240 cm (excl fringes) Materials: 85% Wool, 15% cotton Colonnade no.08 & Rug no.17 is a light flat-woven, handmade rug in n...
Wool, Cotton
$9,909 / item
Komorebi Peony Rug by Antilla Di Lauro
Located in Geneve, CH
Komorebi Peony Rug by Antilla Di Lauro Dimensions: L 270 x H 180 cm. Materials: Semi-worsted wool and twisted viscose. Antilla Di Lauro (b. 1989, Milan, Italy) designs and creates o...
Other
$442 / item
Small Green Rombo Rug by Studio MLR
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Green Rombo rug by Studio MLR Materials: 65% wool, 35% jute. Dimensions: W 90 x L 140 cm Available in 3 sizes: W90 x L140, W170 x L240, W75 x L200 cm. Available in grey, mo...
Wool, Jute
$4,872 / item
Large Boz Kilim Wool Rug by Hermhaus
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Boz Kilim Wool Rug by Hermhaus Dimensions: D 200 x W 300 cm Materials: Wool, cotton yarn The “Boz Kilim,” brought to life by the labor of the first workshop in Turkey to provi...
Wool, Cotton
$4,103 / item
Medium Boz Kilim Wool Rug by Hermhaus
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium Boz Kilim Wool Rug by Hermhaus Dimensions: D 160 x W 240 cm Materials: Wool, cotton yarn The “Boz Kilim,” brought to life by the labor of the first workshop in Turkey to prov...
Wool, Cotton
$3,847 / item
Small Boz Kilim Wool Rug by Hermhaus
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Boz Kilim Wool Rug by Hermhaus Dimensions: D 120 x W 160 cm Materials: Wool, cotton yarn The “Boz Kilim,” brought to life by the labor of the first workshop in Turkey to provi...
Wool, Cotton