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.
Roger Capron Pair of Coffee Tables 'Mambo' with Ceramic Tiles
By Roger Capron
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Roger Capron, 'Mambo' coffee tables, model 'TN12', ceramic, stained wood, France, 1970 The Mambo coffee table by French ceramicist Roger Capron is a distinctive expression of his a...
Ceramic
Roger Capron Coffee Table with Botanical Ceramic Tiles in Beige and Brown
By Roger Capron
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Roger Capron, coffee table, ceramic, beech, France, 1970s This table is another exquisite example of Roger Capron’s work, showcasing a rectangular tabletop composed of his preferred...
Ceramic, Beech
Brutalist Coffee Table in Stone-Look Resin with Organic Relief Top
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Coffee table, stone-look resin, Europe, 1970s A striking European coffee table from the 1970s, crafted in stone-look resin with a beautifully textured organic relief pattern across ...
Resin
Giuseppe Rivadossi 'Blocco Galla' Coffee Table in Swiss Pine
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Giuseppe Rivadossi, 'Blocco Galla' coffee table, Swiss pine, Italy, ca. 1969 This captivating monolithic 'Blocco Galla' coffee table is designed by Giuseppe Rivadossi, dating around...
Pine
1970s Italian Assymetrical Grid Coffee Table in Walnut and Glass
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Coffee table, walnut, lacquered wood, glass, Italy, 1970s This 1970s Italian coffee table is a geometric and highly organized composition, built from walnut, glass, and grey lacque...
Glass, Walnut
Unique Christian Heckscher Etched Brass Coffee Table
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Christian Heckscher, coffee table, brass, Belgium, 1980s A unique handcrafted coffee table by Christian Heckscher. Originally trained in Belgium as both a fine artist and a master c...
Brass
Rare Ado Chale Round Coffee Table with Mosaic Top in Malachite
By Ado Chale
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ado Chale coffee table, malachite, resin, black lacquered steel, Belgium, 1980 This monumental table by Ado Chale is a powerful testament to the artist’s ability to transform rare a...
Malachite, Steel
Giuseppe Rivadossi Hand-Carved Coffee Table in Oak
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Giuseppe Rivadossi for Officina Rivadossi, coffee table, oak, Italy, 1970s A beautifully crafted coffee table in solid oak by Giuseppe Rivadossi. Defined by its bold architectural f...
Oak
Karl Springer Attributed Lacquered Goatskin Cocktail Table
By Aldo Tura, Enrique Garcel, Karl Springer
Located in Houston, TX
Karl Springer Attributed Lacquered Goatskin Cocktail Table. Offered is a handsome Post-Modern square neutral lacquered goatskin cocktail table or coffee table. This two tiered table ...
Goatskin, Wood
Georges Mathias Luxurious Square Coffee Table in Brass and Lacquered Wood
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Georges Mathias coffee table, brass, wood, Belgium, 1970s A glamorous Postmodern coffee table by Georges Mathias, combining a richly decorated brass tabletop with a black wooden fra...
Brass
1970s Italian Brutalist Travertine Coffee Table, Mangiarotti Style
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian Brutalist coffee table from the 1970s, influenced by the work of Angelo Mangiarotti. Thick glass top rests on two freestanding travertine pedestals, each composed of vertical...
Travertine
Exceptionally Rare Christian Krekels Coffee Table in Artisanal Brass Patchwork
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Christian Krekels, coffee table, brass, lacquered steel, Belgium, 1970s This exceptionally rare coffee table exemplifies the artistic vision of Belgian sculptor and metal artist Ch...
Brass, Steel
Jean Claude Dresse Coffee Table in Brass Inlayed with Agate
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Jean Claude Dresse, coffee table, brass, lacquered steel and wood, agate, Belgium, 1970s A luxurious square cocktail table, crafted with high attention for detail which is character...
Agate, Brass, Steel
Pia Manu Coffee Table in Enameled Concrete and Brazilian Quartzite
By Pia Manu
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Pia Manu, coffee table, enameled concrete, Brazilian quartzite, Belgium, 1970s This very rare hand-crafted coffee table was made in the 1970s by the Belgian atelier Pia Manu, known ...
Concrete
Willy Rizzo 'TRG' Circular Yellow Coffee Table
By Willy Rizzo
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Willy Rizzo, TRG (Tavolo Rotondo Girevole) coffee table, lacquered wood, stainless steel, design 1969 The TRG (Tavolo Rotondo Girevole), designed by Willy Rizzo in 1969, is a master...
Stainless Steel
Willy Daro Illuminated Coffee Table in Brass and Agate
By Willy Daro
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Willy Daro, illuminated coffee table, etched brass, agate, lacquered laminated wood, Belgium, 1970s Mesmerizing coffee table by the Belgian artist Willy Daro from the 1970s. The re...
Agate, Brass
Opium Bamboo Coffee table by Axel Vervoordt, Belgium 1980's
Located in Oud-Turnhout, VAN
Vintage Postmodern Modernism Design "Opium" model Bamboo Low Coffee Table by Axel Vervoordt. Made in Belgium, 1980's period. Hardwood base with beautifully structured bamboo top. Thi...
Bamboo
Architectural Two-Tier Coffee Table in Oxblood Lacquer with Polished Brass Frame
By JLC
Located in New York, NY
Architectural two-tier coffee table in glossy burgundy lacquer with a brushed brass metal frame. The design is defined by two rounded rectangular surfaces: an upper tabletop and a ma...
Metal
Post modern lucite snail spiral glass top coffee table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Post modern lucite snail spiral glass top coffee table. Base is made of clear polished lucite abstract form. High quality rounded corner glass top coffee or cocktail table. Very clea...
Glass, Plexiglass
Coffee Table with Marble Top and Chrome Base
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Coffee table, marble, chrome, Europe, 1980s. Exuding simplicity, this unassuming side table exudes an aura of pure elegance. Its design showcases a square, delicately marble tablet...
Marble, Chrome
Italian Coffee Tables in Granite and Brass
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Coffee tables, granite, brass, black lacquered steel, Italy, 1980s These Italian side tables showcase a rectangular brown granite tabletop with a striking, vivid surface. The granit...
Granite, Brass, Steel
1970's Glass & Travertine Coffee Table
Located in Bern, BE
1970’s glass topped travertine lounge table. Round glass tabletop set on a two part solid natural stone base. The heavy travertine base can be set as required to enable an individual...
Travertine
Jean Claude Dresse Coffee Table with Geometric Sculptural Base in Brass
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Jean Claude Dresse, coffee table, brass, glass, Belgium, 1970s This captivating coffee table by Jean Claude Dresse is deeply reflective of the design trends that emerged in the 1970...
Brass
Large postmodern curved waterfall glass coffee table with ball, USA 1980s
Located in Hastings, GB
Large postmodern curved waterfall glass coffee table with plaster effect fiberglass ball, USA 1980s. Very hard to find this model- I've been looking for a while. There are some scr...
Glass, Fiberglass
Charles Hollis Jones Style Lucite & Glass Square Cocktail Table
By Karl Springer, Charles Hollis Jones
Located in Bensalem, PA
Charles Hollis Jones style square cocktail table please look at pictures and video for overall detail. Feel free to reach out with any questions.
Glass, Lucite
Faceted Postmodern Style Coffee Table in Hand-Lacquered Custom RAL Colors
Located in New York, NY
Coffee table lithic collection explores the tension between primitive, rock-like formations and refined, architectural silhouettes. This set features a low-profile coffee table and a...
Wood, Lacquer
French ‘Saturn’ Coffee Table in the Manner of Claude Berraldacci, 1980s
Located in Chicago, IL
A French coffee table from the 1980s, made in the manner of Claude Berraldacci, and executed in travertine. The Saturn coffee table is defined by its interplay of solid and transpar...
Travertine
1980s Postmodern Pink Marble Coffee Table
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Postmodern Pink Marble Coffee Table. Circa 1980s Features a square-shaped top with concave edges and a soft pink color with gorgeous ...
Marble
Christopher Guy Lacquered and Gilt Coffee "Harper" Table
Located in Peabody, MA
A coffee table in highly polished lacquer with gilt wood accents from the "Harper" line, by the celebrated British designer Christopher Guy (1960-2020). Displays a fusion of modern m...
Wood, Giltwood, Lacquer
Giuseppe Rivadossi for Officina Rivadossi Architectural Square Oak Coffee Table
By Giuseppe Rivadossi, Officina Rivadossi
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Giuseppe Rivadossi for Officina Rivadossi coffee table, oak, Italy, 1980s A beautifully crafted coffee table by Giuseppe Rivadossi for Officina Rivadossi, Italy, 1980s. Executed in ...
Oak
Italian Postmodern 1980s Eye Shaped Breccio Marble Coffee Table Black-Green-Gold
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This rare Italian marble table is, unlike many others, made of breccio marble. Sitting on two very heavy V-shaped blocks, it stands very stable. Th...
Breccia Marble
Jean Claude Dresse Coffee Table in Steel and Brass
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Jean Claude Dresse, coffee table, brass, brushed steel, Belgium, circa 1970 This remarkable rectangular coffee table, designed by the esteemed Jean Claude Dresse in the 1970s, exemp...
Brass, Steel
Mod Travertine Up & Up Coffee Table Made in Italy c. 1970's
By Up & Up
Located in New York, NY
Voguish 1970's marble coffee table made in Italy by Up & Up. The table consists of two opposing triangular elements, which can be placed together to form a square coffee table, or pl...
Travertine
Gabriella Crespi Limited Edition ‘Cubo Magico’ Coffee Table in Brass
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gabriella Crespi, limited edition 'Cubo Magico' coffee table from the 'Plurimi' series, brass, aluminum, Italy, 1970 The Cubo Magico was designed by Gabriella Crespi as part of her ...
Aluminum, Brass
Post Modern Karl Springer Coffee Table in Gunmetal Brass with Smoked Glass Top
Located in Lake Worth, FL
This vintage coffee table not signed but looks to be designed by Karl Springer is a stunning piece of postmodern furniture. The gunmetal brass finish and smoked glass top give it a u...
Metal
Brutalist Coffee Table in Cream Stone Look Resin
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Coffee table, resin, Northern Europe, 1970s This sculptural coffee table features a broad, faceted top resting on a substantial pedestal base. Executed in cream coloured resin, its ...
Resin
Nerone & Patuzzi for Gruppo NP2 'C10T' Coffee Table in Wood and Crystal Glass
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Nerone & Patuzzi for Gruppo NP2, coffee table, wood, glass, iron, Italy, 1970s Designed by the Italian duo Nerone and Patuzzi, this sculptural coffee table is a true statement p...
Iron
Red Acrylic Lucite Bench Cocktail Table
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful and substantial high-gloss red opaque acrylic/Lucite bench or cocktail table, in the Modern style or Postmodern period, circa late-20th to early 21st-century. Great as a ...
Acrylic, Resin, Lucite
A Pair of RADICAL POSTMODERN Side or COFFEE TABLES, by KAPPA, France 1970
By Kappa
Located in PARIS, FR
A pair of rare, elegant and architectural '"T" square coffee tables, Post-Modernist, Bauhaus, Space-Age, massive cubic structures, thick square inox metal tops, in the spirit of the ...
Metal
Chrome and Ebonized Wood Coffee Table with Swivel Glass Top, 1990's
Located in Nantucket, MA
This table came from a decommissioned European cruise ship from the 1990's. It has an ebonized base and aesthetic ebonized supports over staggered and angled chrome legs, additional ...
Chrome
1980s Laminated waterfall Scroll table by Jeffrey Craig
Located in Toronto, CA
A large vintage laminated waterfall scroll coffee table from the 1980s. It was created in Canada by renowned expert Jeffrey Craig, known for crafting high-quality laminated furniture...
Laminate
Postmodern Design XL Wengé Coffee Table
Located in Oud-Turnhout, VAN
Vintage Postmodern Modernist Design XL Wengé Coffee Table in the manner of Axel Vervoordt or Linteloo Designs. Made in Belgium, 1980's / 1990's period. Beautifully constructed low co...
Oak, Wenge
Paolo Piva B&B Italia Alanda 1980s Black Steel Square Glass Coffee Table sofa
By Paolo Piva
Located in London, England
An iconic design by Paolo Piva for B&B Italia, this coffee table made in Italy around the 1980s. This coffee table consists of a geometric black lacquered iron base giving the illus...
Metal
1980s, Post Modern Black Lacquer Coffee Table in the Roger Rougier Style
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage, large scale post modern sculptural Black Lacquer Coffee Table with a Triangular Glass top in the of Roger Rougier's Style. Circa 1980s. Features a glossy lacquered six inch...
Glass, Lacquer
“Murmansk” Coffee Table by Ettore Sottsass for Rossi e Arcandi, Italy 1980's
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Striking and sculptural “Murmansk” coffee table designed by Ettore Sottsass and produced by Rossi e Arcandi, Vicenza, Italy. This impressive piece captures Sottsass’s postmodern mast...
Steel, Nickel
Modernist Design Bamboo Coffee Table by Axel Vervoordt, 1980's
Located in Oud-Turnhout, VAN
Vintage Postmodern Modernist Design Bamboo Coffee Table by Axel Vervoordt. Made in Belgium, 1980's period. Bamboo top and side topped slender coffee table. This has been refinished. ...
Bamboo
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Concrete Cantilever Coffee Table
Located in Jensen Beach, FL
Rare coffee table designed in the late 1970s by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia.
Concrete, Metal
Carved Marble Figure of a Nude Woman Coffee Table Glass Top
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This carved marble figure of a nude woman coffee table with a glass top is a striking example of functional art that blurs the line between scu...
Marble
1980s Vintage Modern Italian Verde Alpi Marble Pedestal Rectangle Coffee Table
Located in Winston-Salem, NC
This vintage marble coffee table is pure drama — cut from Verde Alpi, a marble quarried in Italy's Aosta Valley— prized for its deep, forest-green color and the dramatic white veini...
Marble
SAN Square Low Coffee Table in Oak and Metal by D8 Studio for District Eight
Located in Geneve, CH
SAN Square Low Coffee Table in Oak and Metal by D8 Studio for District Eight. Dimensions: W 100 x D 100 x H 22 cm. Materials: Oak, Metal. Designer: D8 Studio. This listing features ...
Metal
Laurel Fyfe Sculptural Handkerchief Art Glass Coffee Table, 1991
By Laurel Fyfe
Located in Hamburg, PA
A Laurel Fyfe Sculptural Handkerchief Art Glass Coffee Table. This cocktail table is signed and dated "L.E.I. 1991 #74" for the company name, Lumen Essence Inc. The glass coffee tabl...
Glass
Rei Kawakubo triangular coffee table, for "Comme des Garçons", by Pallucco, 1986
By Pallucco, Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garçons
Located in London, Fitzrovia
Rei Kawakubo post modern triangular coffee table, for "Comme des Garçons", by Pallucco, 1986 Granite and black metal legs on castors.
Granite, Steel
Jean Claude Dresse Rectangular Coffee Table in Off-White Resin
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Jean Claude Dresse, coffee table, resin, lacquered steel, Belgium, 1970s This eccentric coffee table is a masterful creation by Belgian designer Jean Claude Dresse. Every inch of th...
Steel
Monumental three-tier Post-Modern wooden coffee table, Italy, 1980s
Located in Argelato, BO
This coffee table embodies the bold aesthetic of 1980s Italian postmodern design through a functional nest-like structure. The piece unfolds across three staggered, concealed levels,...
Metal
Vintage Post Modern Waterfall Glass Coffee Table or Side Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Condition: Original Vintage Condition Materials: Curved Glass, Metal Base This sculptural Post Modern glass table from the 1980s features a striking waterfall design crafted from a...
Metal
Table basse par Frank Lloyd Wright pour Cassina
Located in Rouen, FR
Table basse carrée conçue par Frank Lloyd Wright et éditée par Cassina. Réalisée en placage de bois, elle se distingue par sa structure géométrique évoquant une forme d’origami. La ...
Wood
Postmodern Smoked Chrome Glass Cocktail Tables by DIA, '90s, Set of 2
Located in New York, NY
A set of two (2) designer 1990s Post-Modern 'smoked' gray-charcoal chrome round bi-level cocktail/coffee tables with cylindrical legs...
Chrome
1980s Postmodern Green Marble Coffee Table with Plinth Base
Located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
A substantial 1980s postmodern coffee table executed in vivid green marble. The stone displays high-contrast figuring in deep green and ...
Marble
Tord Bjorklund Post-modern Side or Coffee Table, Memphis Style, Sweden, 1980s
By Tord Bjorklund, IKEA
Located in Vienna, AT
A round folding Memphis style coffee / side / occasional flip-top table in yolk-yellow. Designed in 1986 by Tord Björklund for Ikea. This collapsible table is made of metal, has love...
Metal
Post modern low long oval taupe lacquer coffee table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Post modern low long oval taupe lacquer coffee table. Beautiful table with off center oval chrome weighted base. Very heavy and solid coffee table. Very nice light taupe gloss lacque...
Chrome