20th Century Italian Pair of Vintage Brass Eye-Shaped Side Chairs by Paolo Buffa
About the Item
- Creator:Paolo Buffa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 43 in (109.22 cm)Width: 17 in (43.18 cm)Depth: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1940 - 1960
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:West Palm Beach, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1622238021972
Paolo Buffa
With a surname that loosely translates to a synonym for “bizarre” in Italian, Milanese designer and architect Paolo Buffa is best known for capturing the best of both old and new in his plush, enveloping lounge chairs and wingback chairs as well as his range of modern tables, each dazzling and provocative but built using classical techniques.
Purposely playful and airy, mid-century Italian interiors encouraged merriment and socializing. Buffa’s work was well suited to this, but unlike the postwar designers who established recognizable trademarks and signatures, his vintage furniture for Cassina and other firms — the sculptural side tables and case pieces of walnut and solid oak, the luxurious sheepskin sofas — differed considerably from one design to the next, making them appealing to a range of interior decorators and socialites with specific taste. The son of a highly sought-after artist, Giovanni Buffa, Paolo graduated in 1927 from Politecnico di Milano. He then spent time working under architects and designers Gio Ponti and Emilio Lancia. Ponti, who himself crafted thousands of furnishings and endlessly creative rooms, was so taken with the young designer that in 1928 he featured his simple and elegant rosewood dressing table in his new magazine, Domus.
After opening a firm with his regular collaborator Antonio Cassi Ramelli, Buffa became one of the leading tastemakers of Italian mid-century modern furnishings, designing for villas and residential buildings across the country. His style was a mix of Art Deco, Rationalism, neoclassicism and a bit of whimsy. He used high-quality materials and regularly worked with local ateliers known for their fine craftsmanship to produce his designs, such as Serafino Arrighi and Marelli & Colico. In 1940, he partnered with the Mario Quarti furniture studio on the royal palace of Albania’s King Zog, with Buffa designing the furniture, and in 1951, Egypt’s King Farouk enlisted him to redecorate his yacht.
While Buffa’s transcendent pieces are now collector’s items, there are a few still in production, such as those he made with Angelo Marelli. His eponymous firm, the Italian furniture producer Eredi Marelli, still manufactures some designs based on Buffa’s archives.
Find a collection of vintage Paolo Buffa furniture today on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: West Palm Beach, FL
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- 20th Century Italian Pair of Vintage Walnut Lounge Chairs by Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA vintage Mid-Century modern Italian pair of lounge chairs made of hand crafted polished Walnut, designed by Paolo Buffa in good condition. The backrest and the sides of the armchair...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Walnut
- 20th Century Italian Pair of Vintage Mahogany Bed Side Tables by Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA vintage Mid-Century modern Italian pair of bed side tables made of hand crafted polished, partly veneered Mahogany, designed by Paolo Buffa in good condition. The nightstands are c...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- 20th Century White Italian Pair of Vintage Velvet Lounge Chairs by Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis vintage Mid-Century Modern Italian pair of lounge chairs were designed by the famous Italian designer Paolo Buffa. In Walnut with a hand polished Shellac finish in good conditio...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- 20th Century Italian Pair of Beech, Maplewood Lounge Chairs by Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA vintage Mid-Century Modern Italian pair of lounge chairs made of hand crafted black shellac polished Beechwood, designed by Paolo Buffa in good condition. The crosses of the chairs...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Maple, Beech, Upholstery, Bouclé
- 20th Century Pair of Vintage Italian Mid-Century Modern Teakwood Side ChairsLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA vintage Mid-Century modern Italian pair of small side chairs made of hand crafted Teakwood, in good condition. The corner, end chairs have a slightly curved backrest and an arched ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 20th Century Italian Walnut Nightstands - Vintage Bed Side Tables by Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA dark-brown, vintage Mid-Century Modern Italian pair of nightstands, bedside tables made of hand crafted polished Walnut with one large drawer and one small drawer, composed with de...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Italy Midcentury Pair of Mahogany Chiavari Chairs by Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Vigonza, PaduaVery rare pair of Chiavari chairs in ebonized mahogany by Paolo Buffa. The chairs have original fabric seating in geometric designs in excellent conditions. Gilt brass feet. Measures cm: H 123/48, W 40, D 44. About PAOLO BUFFA Italian architect and designer Paolo Buffa (1903-1970) was active between the 1930s and 1960s, and is known for his décor that blends neoclassical style with Art Deco motifs and modernist principles. His pieces are often devoid of trademarks or hallmarks, thus making them difficult to authenticate. Born and raised in Milan, Buffa studied architecture at the famous Polytechnic of the city, where he graduated in 1927. The following year he founded a design studio together with Antonio Cassi Ramelli, met during a short work in the atelier of Gio Ponti and Emilio Launch. The two designers' professional debut took place in 1930, when the duo presented a dining room installation at that year's Triennale. Between 1933 and 1936, Buffa will found his own studio. Drawing for the upper social classes in Milan, Buffa's designs are handcrafted in the finest and most quality materials, and are able to rival Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, a legend of French Art Déco. Collaborating with talented cabinetmakers such as Mario Quarti, and skilled craftsmen, Buffa slowly manages to introduce modern techniques to the design scene of the early 1940s. The evolution of Buffa's aesthetics, progressively more and more modern, is very clear and linear; from early neoclassical furniture...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsMahogany
- Two Italian Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical Desk Chairs by Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in New York, NYBuffa designed some of the cleanest and most elegant pieces of the post Art Deco, Mid-Century Modern, 'Novecento' period. These side or desk chairs illustrate his total mastery of hi...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Decorative Side or Dining Chair by Paolo Buffa Made in Italy Ca. 1950’sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in New York, NYVoguish, chic mid century style really only the Italians could attain, this gem was produced by master designer Paolo Buffa, and it is in very fine, original, untouched condition. P...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRush, Wood
- Paolo Buffa Attributed ChairsBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Beverly Hills, CAPair of woven chairs attributed to Paolo Buffa - Italy, 1940s Great angular shaped wood frame and legs with original straw seat and back. Spi...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsStraw, Walnut
- Midcentury Italian Lounge Chair in the Style of Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis incredible lounge chair features a truly unique sculpted wood frame with an upholstered seat with tapered legs. The vintage floral fabric ad...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- 1930s Italian Pair of Chairs and Armchair, Paolo Buffa Attributed, from CantùBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Vigonza, PaduaArt Deco age, midcentury, pair of chairs and "Barchetta" armchair, in walnut, Paolo Buffa attributed, from Cantù. The raised edges are in ebonized walnut, while the flat parts in br...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Revival Armchairs
MaterialsWalnut