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.
$2,809 / 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
$1,846 / 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
$41,111 / 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
$22,384 / 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
$441 / 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
$5,073 / item
Elm KKilim 123 Rug by ETHNİCLOOM
Located in Geneve, CH
Elm KKilim 123 Rug by ETHNİCLOOM Dimensions: W 210 x H 290 cm Materials: Wool Weave. The Founder Ethnicloom was founded as a natural continuation of its creator, Elif Gönensay’s l...
Wool
$3,796 / item
Peach Giro Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Peach 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 edge of...
Wool
$4,771 / item
No.02 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr
Located in Geneve, CH
No.02 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr Dimensions: D220 x H280 Materials: 85% wool 15% cotton no.02 is a decorative hand-knotted rug in natural wool. The soft irregular pattern creates a v...
Wool, Cotton
$11,180 / item
Large Zoe Kubb Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Zoe Kubb Rug by Gandia Blasco Design by Daria Zinovatnaya Dimensions: W 260 x H 300 cm. Materials: Fiber composition: 100% wool. Weight: 27 kg Passion for life outdoors, a d...
Wool
Terra Cotta Earth Bamboo Carpet by Massimo Copenhagen
Located in Geneve, CH
Terra Cotta Earth Bamboo Carpet by Massimo Copenhagen Handwoven Materials: 50% New Zealand Wool, 50% Bamboo Dimensions: W 300 x H 400 cm Available colors: Nougat Rose, Cashmere, ...
Wool, Bamboo
$2,809 / item
White/Blue Handwoven Tapestry by Calyah
Located in Geneve, CH
White/Blue handwoven tapestry by Calyah Unique piece Materials: Tibetan wool and silk. Dimensions: 170 x 65 x 1 cm Colour: white/blue Also available in red/yellow, gold/orange, ...
Wool, Silk
$9,264 / item
Blue Round Mirage Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Blue 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
$2,078 / item
Cream RePeat Carpet by Massimo Copenhagen
Located in Geneve, CH
Cream RePeat Carpet by Massimo Copenhagen. Handtufted Materials: 100% Recycled PET, Cotton. Dimensions: W 250 x H 350 cm. Available colors: Graphite, Cream, Beige, Pistachio, and Pastel Yellow. Other dimensions are available: 160x230 cm, 200x300 cm, and special sizes. RePeat collection represents an innovative and sustainable take on textiles. Handtufted from 100% recycled plastic (rPET), with an additional OEKO-TEX cotton layer on the backside, making it suitable for any type of floor. A lightweight fibre obtained from the material produced through the process of recovery and reuse of PET, presents a high resistance to wear and tear, and offers good thermal properties, which makes it a perfect choice for textiles at home and commercial settings. The composition makes the RePeat rugs...
Cotton, Plastic
$7,604 / item
Cortot 1972 Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D.
Located in Geneve, CH
Cortot 1972 Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D. Dimensions: W 210 x L 245 cm. Materials: Wool, silk. Available in W170 x L215, W190 x L235, W210 x L245 cm. Atelier...
Wool, Silk
No. 4 Freeplay Hand Knotted Rug Ensemble by Lyk Carpet
Located in Geneve, CH
No. 4 Freeplay hand knotted rug ensemble by Lyk Carpet Dimensions: L 260 x W 180 cm. Materials: 100% handspun, Tibetan highland new wool, obtained from living sheep, traditionally ...
Wool
$2,832 / item
Hand-Knotted Textile Poster #13 by Lyk Carpet
Located in Geneve, CH
Hand-knotted textile poster #13 by Lyk carpet One of a kind. Dimensions: W 200 x L 160 cm. Materials: 100% hand-spun tibetan highland wool from living sheep, traditionally plant-d...
Wool
Nougat Rose Earth Bamboo Carpet by Massimo Copenhagen
Located in Geneve, CH
Nougat rose earth bamboo carpet by Massimo Copenhagen. handwoven Materials: 50% New Zealand wWool, 50% Bamboo. Dimensions: W 300 x H 400 cm. Available colors: nougat rose, cashme...
Wool, Bamboo
$2,612 / item
Green Busy Backstitch Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Green Busy Backstitch Rug by Gandia Blasco Design by Raw-Edges Dimensions: W 170 x H 240 cm. Materials: 100% wool. Weight: 6,5 kg Passion for life outdoor...
Wool
CF F1 2018 Silk Rug by Caturegli Formica, Post-Modern Design, Italy
Located in Geneve, CH
CF F1 2018 by Caturegli Formica. Dimensions: W 320 x L 230 cm Materials: Silk Carpets as deep information Carpets are very common items. But it has never really been clear if...
Silk
$3,900 / item
Blue China Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Blue China Rug by Gandia Blasco Design by Mapi Millet Dimensions: D 250 cm. Materials: 100% wool. Weight: 20.5 kg Passion for life outdoors, a dream come...
Wool
$3,796 / item
Lilac Giro Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Lilac 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 edge of...
Wool
$6,455 / item
Kimoto Caru Runner Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D.
Located in Geneve, CH
Kimoto Caru Runner Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D. Dimensions: W 120 x L 465 cm. Materials: Wool. Available in W100 x L320, W110 x L350, W120 x L465 cm. Atelier Bowy C.D. is dedicated to ...
Wool
$2,229 / item
Colonnade No.02 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr
Located in Geneve, CH
Colonnade no.02 Rug by Cappelen DImyr Dimensions: D100 x H240 Materials: 85% wool, 15% cotton Colonnade no.02 is an homage to the understated bohemian elegance that is the signa...
Wool, Cotton
$9,938 / item
Kotoubia Pausa Hand-Knotted Rug by Eskayel
Located in Geneve, CH
Kotoubia Pausa Hand-Knotted Rug by Eskayel Dimensions: D 9' x H 6' Pile Height: 6 mm low pile, 10mm high pile. Materials: 70% Merino wool, 30% silk. Eskayel hand-knotted rugs a...
Wool, Silk
No. 218 Hand-knotted Textile Poster by Lyk Carpet
Located in Geneve, CH
No. 218 Hand-knotted textile poster by Lyk Carpet Homage to the Bauhauswomen Dimensions: W 37 x L 82 cm. Materials: 100% tibetan highland-wool, new pure hand-combed and hand-spun woo...
Wool
$5,166 / item
Yggdrasil Lillic Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Yggdrasil Lillic Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 250 cm. Materials: Wool. Available in thirteen size options. Also available in custom measurements. Prices may vary. Ple...
Wool
Sahara 400 Rug by Illulian, Wool and Silk, Post-Modern Design, Italy
Located in Geneve, CH
SAHARA 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
$6,908 / item
Skuld Lillic Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Skuld 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, ...
Other
No. 5 Freeplay Hand Knotted Rug Ensemble by Lyk Carpet
Located in Geneve, CH
No. 5 Freeplay hand knotted rug Ensemble by Lyk Carpet Dimensions: L 180 x W 180 cm. Materials: 100% handspun, Tibetan highland new wool, obtained from living sheep, traditionally ...
Wool
$6,443 / item
No.11 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr
Located in Geneve, CH
No.11 Rug by Cappelen Dimyr Dimensions: D240 x H320 cm Materials: 100% wool no.11 is a heavy, compact and rustic rug in luxury chunky wool woven in a clas...
Wool
$6,141 / item
Tundra Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Tundra 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
$10,727 / item
Adurite Frame Small Rug by Art & Loom
Located in Geneve, CH
Adurite Frame Small Rug by Art & Loom Dimensions: D243.4 x H304.8 cm Materials: New Zealand wool with Chinese silk—(2) pile heights Quality (Knots per Inch): 100 Also available in di...
Wool, Silk
$6,141 / item
Plaid Beige Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Plaid Beige 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
$4,760 / item
Sea Green Earth Carpet by Massimo Copenhagen
Located in Geneve, CH
Sea Green Earth Carpet by Massimo Copenhagen. Handwoven Materials: 100% New Zealand Wool. Dimensions: W 300 x H 400 cm. Available colors: Verte Grey, M...
Wool
No. 219 Hand-Knotted Textile Poster by Lyk Carpet
Located in Geneve, CH
No. 219 hand-knotted textile poster by Lyk Carpet Homage to the Bauhauswomen Dimensions: W 55 x L 69 cm. Materials: 100% tibetan highland-wool, new pure hand-combed and hand-spun ...
Wool
$5,654 / item
Sulblu Nesso Uno Runner Rug by Seraina Lareida
Located in Geneve, CH
Sulblu Nesso Uno Runner rug by Seraina Lareida Dimensions: W 80 x H 345 cm Materials: 100% New Zeland top-quality wool. Also available in Redwine-lemon, Olive-gold, Gray-blue. Custo...
Wool
$41,111 / item
Skull & Bones 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
SKULL & BONES 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. Illul...
Wool, Silk
$5,166 / item
Yggdrasil Red Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Yggdrasil Red Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 250 cm. Materials: Wool. Available in thirteen size options. Also available in custom measurements. Prices may vary. Please...
Wool
$6,141 / item
Plaid Black & White Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Plaid Black & White 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, 20...
Wool, Silk, Bamboo
$4,446 / item
Pli Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Pli 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
$3,057 / item
Skin Rug - Brazillian designers collection
By Tri Design
Located in Londrina, Paraná
This rug was named Skin for representing different shades of people skin colors. It pays a homage to cultural diversity. This rug is produced in association with Tapetah. Reference ...
Polyester
Costa Bassa Crosby Senses Raw Edit Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D.
Located in Geneve, CH
Costa Bassa Crosby Senses Raw Edit Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D. Dimensions: W 243 x L 300 cm. Materials: Wool, silk. Available in W140 x L220, W170 x L240, W200 x L300, W243 x L300 cm. ...
Wool, Silk
$4,865 / item
Cuori Rug I by Giulio Brambilla
Located in Geneve, CH
Cuori rug I by Giulio Brambilla Dimensions: D 300 x W 200 x H 0.5 cm Materials: NZ wool, melange yarn Named after the Italian word for “heart“, this rug is part of a refined col...
Wool
$12,515 / item
Monti Casteloro Edit Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D.
Located in Geneve, CH
Monti Casteloro 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. Atelier Bowy ...
Wool, Silk
$7,093 / item
Place Denfert-Rochereau Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D.
Located in Geneve, CH
Place Denfert-Rochereau Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D. Dimensions: W 110 x L 435 cm. Materials: Wool, silk. Available in W90 x L360, W100 x L400, W110 x L435 cm. Atelier Bowy C.D. is ded...
Wool, Silk
$7,360 / item
Bold Stripe Thalassa hand knotted Rug by Eskayel
Located in Geneve, CH
Bold stripe Thalassa hand knotted Rug by Eskayel Dimensions: D 8' x H 10' Pile Height: 15 mm Materials: Merino wool, NZ wool. Eskayel hand knotted rugs are woven to order and c...
Wool
$12,132 / item
Saverne, Le Dessin #130, Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D.
Located in Geneve, CH
Saverne, Le Dessin #130, Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D. Dimensions: W 243 x L 300 cm. Materials: Wool, silk. Available in D200, D240, W170 x L215, W190 x L235, W210 x L245, W243 x L300 cm...
Wool, Silk
$25,286 / item
Richmond 200 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
RICHMOND 200 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D300 x H200 cm Materials: Silk 100% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, historic and ...
Silk
$7,221 / item
Bellac, Le Dessin #12, Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D.
Located in Geneve, CH
Bellac, Le Dessin #12, Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D. Dimensions: W 170 x L 240 cm Materials: Wool, silk. Available in D200, D240, W140 x L220, W170 x L240, W210 x L300, W243 x L350 cm. ...
Wool, Silk
$34,516 / item
Cf Gattaca by Caturegli Formica
Located in Geneve, CH
CF GATTACA by Caturegli Formica Dimensions: W 360 x L 290 cm Materials: Wool Produced by Elio Palmisano in 1989-90 for the collection/exhibition Tappeti e Arazzi Biographic...
Wool
$8,115 / item
Bevanti Dirty Snow Edit Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D.
Located in Geneve, CH
Bevanti Dirty Snow Edit Rug by Atelier Bowy C.D. Dimensions: W 243 x L 300 cm. Materials: Wool. Available in W140 x L220, W170 x L240, W210 x L300, W230 x L300, W243 x L300 cm. Ate...
Wool
$5,644 / item
Dune Rug II by Vanessa Ordoñez
Located in Geneve, CH
Dune rug II 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
$41,111 / item
Dash 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
DASH 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
$17,624 / item
Large Musgo Gris Rug by Brera Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Musgo Gris Rug by Brera Studio. Unique piece. Handmade. Dimensions: W 324 x L 200 cm. Materials: 100% wool. Musgo Rug is a unique piece, part of the Terra collection desi...
Wool
$50,573 / item
Richmond 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
RICHMOND 400 rug by Illulian Dimensions: D400 x H300 cm Materials: Silk 100% Variations available and prices may vary according to materials and sizes. Illulian, historic and...
Silk
$17,658 / item
Diego Hand-Knotted Rug by Eskayel
Located in Geneve, CH
Diego hand-knotted rug by Eskayel Dimensions: D 9' x H 12' Pile Height: 30 mm Materials: 100% bamboo silk. Eskayel hand-knotted rugs are woven to ...
Silk
$16,449 / item
Scallop Large Rug by Art & Loom
Located in Geneve, CH
Scallop large rug by Art & Loom Dimensions: D 304.8 x H 426.7 cm Materials: 100% New Zealand wool—loop & cut Quality (Knots per Inch): 80 Also available in different dimensions. ...
Wool
$41,111 / item
Spike 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
SPIKE 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, histori...
Wool, Silk
$41,111 / item
Memento 400 Rug by Illulian
Located in Geneve, CH
MEMENTO 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
Memento 400 Rug by Illulian, Wool and Silk, Post-Modern Design, Italy
Located in Geneve, CH
MEMENTO 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