Mid-Century Modern Renato Zevi for Selig 'Ellipse' Chrome Rocking Chair

Best known for his inimitable Ellipse rocking chair, Italian furniture designer Renato Zevi worked with gilded aluminum and brass, lacquered wood and mirrored glass to create sleek, sensual and glamorous pieces befitting the Hollywood Regency style.

Zevi designed extensively throughout the 1970s, drawing inspiration from the likes of Milo Baughman, one of the most adept American mid-century modern designers. Baughman’s relaxed and airy approach to design is reflected in many of Zevi’s pieces, such as sideboards, coffee and cocktail tables and dining room tables, which, like Baughman’s designs, feature sturdy chrome frames and polished lacquered wood veneers. 

Zevi’s most inventive designs included a lounge chair with an ottoman, a unique creation with oval, sculptural, polished chrome legs and a plush seat and backrest. Through his firm Zevi and C., he designed the Ellipse chair for the Selig furniture company. An American manufacturer and importer, Selig is known for being among the first to introduce European modern furniture to the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. Versions of the popular Ellipse chair have been produced with tufted vinyl upholstery and soft, supple Italian leather. 

Zevi also collaborated with Italian furniture designer Romeo Rega, creating elegant bookcases and vitrines with gilt brass frames and smoked glass or crystal glass shelves. Rega’s company was acclaimed during the 1970s for its mass-produced console tables, chairs and other pieces until it ceased production in the 1980s.

Zevi’s work continues to be popular with Hollywood Regency decorators, collectors and design enthusiasts.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Renato Zevi case pieces and storage cabinets, tables, seating and more.

As an importer and producer, the Selig furniture company helped popularize timeless and elegant postwar designs in the United States.

Selig created Danish-inspired chairs, sofas and other furnishings for the home that were cutting-edge, contemporary and airy. The brand was also among the first to introduce Scandinavian and European modern styles to Americans in the 1950s and 60s. The company imported and manufactured furniture known for its extraordinary design and style using high-quality, enduring and seductive materials.

Selig was founded in 1931 by Mandell Selig and Samuel Wexler. The pair started the business during the challenging economic times of the Great Depression prior to World War II. By the 1960s, under the leadership of Wexler's son, Robert, Selig peaked with manufacturing factories in five American cities.

Selig’s importing business had a meaningful impact on Italian furniture manufacturers. Wexler, the junior, had a hand in advancing and growing the manufacturing sector of the country’s Udine region. Due to this contribution, the Italian government saw fit to knight Robert Wexler with the title of “Cavaliere.”

After nearly four decades of influencing seating and lounging preferences in the United States with sophisticated mid-century modern and Scandinavian modern furniture — including its own chrome rocking chairs and leather club chairs — Selig sold to Simmons, the mattress company, in 1970, thus dissolving. Much of what they produced and imported is still available despite no longer being manufactured, and many collectors seek original Selig furniture.

On 1stDibs, find an array of vintage Selig furniture that includes lounge chairs, armchairs, tables and more.