Post Modernism

   Moving on from modernism, Postmodernism emerged as an interior design style in the 1970s. The world of art and architecture was beginning to change. With its prime falling between 1970 and 1990, this new wave experienced its peak,  captivating the world of 1980’s. The traditions and assumptions that had sustained the world of design for nearly a century were pushed to their limits as new colors, textures and aesthetics came onto the scene. It was a strong rebellion against the minimalist concepts of modern design. It was an attempt to break free from the practical, muted, and often impersonal approach of modern design. The use of asymmetry increased during the postmodern period, while at the same time straight lines gave way to odd angles and uncertain shapes. The color palette also includes a mix of natural and retro shades like avocado, mustard, burnt orange, turquoise, and even metallic tones. Postmodern design embraces unique and different ideas with an emphasis on playful, artsy, and unique style.

In December 1980, Ettore Sottsass

met with an internationally diverse group of designers with the aim to create a new design movement. This is known as the Memphis movement. These creators included Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves, and George Sowden. Their use of clashing colors, random arrangements and brightly colored plastic laminate was unseen from the design movements before. They were inspired through Art deco and Pop art. At the time, objects were usually designed to be functional, not decorative. These pieces were designed to communicate ideas. The influential look of Memphis furniture included combinations of overtly geometric shapes made from a variety of materials in bright, contrasting colors. Memphis involved a more creative approach to design, where they had fun with everyday objects by designing them in a way that was unusual.

A step further:

Michael Graves (1934–2015) was a very influential and famous architect and designers of the 20th century. He was a member of the influential group of architects known as the New York Five. Graves was also a member of the Memphis Group and a leader of the postmodern movement. He embraced more decorative detail and strong use of colors and forms. He used colors that represented the colors of nature and the use of the authentic colors of materials to influence his designs. He believed ornamentation gave “meaning” to a space. He founded his own firm in 1964 and, in 1982, and completed one of his best-known projects, the Portland Building. it was a large civic structure designed for everyday workers and is one of Postmodernism's most important structures. It also contains offices for many of the city's public agencies, with rentable office space on the top floors and a food court in the base. The blocky structure is dominated by highly abstracted classical elements. These included columns, pediments, and a frieze-like decorative band – all set among a grid of small square windows. A teal-colored podium surrounds the entrance level. The Portland building remains seminal in the development of Graves work and post modernism in general.