20th Century Ico Parisi Rare Velvet Sofa, 1961
About the Item
- Creator:Ico Parisi (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 34.65 in (88 cm)Width: 94.49 in (240 cm)Depth: 30.71 in (78 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1961
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Turin, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5450239129332
Ico Parisi
Domenico “Ico” Parisi was one half of a prolific postwar design duo he comprised with his wife, Luisa. Their furniture designs are known for running the stylistic gamut, with celebrated mid-century modern pieces ranging from elegantly skeletal — like dramatic ebonized dining chairs — to plush and shapely, like the iconic 1951 Egg chair, in a plethora of materials.
The son of an art teacher father, Ico Parisi was exposed to art at an early age. Born in 1916 in the Sicilian capital of Palermo, he and his family moved to Como in 1925. There, the young Parisi would begin to develop his interest in architecture and design. After earning a degree as a building inspector in 1936 and working as a civil engineer, Parisi took on an apprenticeship in the studio of Giuseppe Terragni, the modernist, fascist Italian architect, pioneer of the Rationalist movement and creator of the iconic Casa del Fascio.
While working for Terragni, Parisi crossed paths with such contemporary design talents as Lucio Fontana, Bruno Munari and Pietro Lingeri, though he briefly moved away from design and architecture to explore photography and film. His artistic work would soon be interrupted, however, by the outbreak of World War II, during which he served at the front before returning to Como in 1943. There, he resumed work as a designer and architect, founding two architecture groups: the Alta Quota and the Gruppo Como.
Through his creative circles, Parisi met Luisa Aiani, a former student of the prolific architect and furniture designer Gio Ponti, who was affiliated with the Alta Quota. They married in 1947 and founded the studio La Ruota — a cross between a design firm and an intellectual salon — in Como shortly thereafter. In 1950, Parisi finally completed his architectural schooling, studying under the nationalist architect Alberto Sartoris at the Athenaeum Architecture School in Lausanne, Switzerland. He and Aiani began several decades of sophisticated output, designing curved sofas upholstered in yellow velvet and armchairs with slender mahogany frames for enduring Italian manufacturers such as Cassina and others.
Much like Charles and Ray Eames in America, the Parisis worked as a team and relied on experimentation in style and material for many of their designs. Ico Parisi died in Como in 1996.
Find a collection of vintage Ico Parisi coffee tables, dining chairs and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Torino, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- 20th Century Wall Consolle Table by Ico ParisiBy Ico ParisiLocated in Turin, TurinIco Parisi was an Italian architect and designer, born in Palermo in 1916. His activity, marked by continuous experimentation, consists in an incessant research in the fields of arch...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsWood
- 20th Century Edizioni Cinquanta Virgola Sofa in Red Velvet and BrassBy Federico MunariLocated in Turin, TurinVirgola sofa is inspired by Federico Munari's sofa from the 50s. The 6 feet are in full brass, shaped as truncated cone. The main characteristic of this sofa is the fabric: a whole ...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- 20th Century Ico Parisi Brugnoli Mobili Hanging Console in Wood, 1960sBy Brugnoli Mobili Cantú, Ico ParisiLocated in Turin, TurinHanging console designed in 1960s by Ico Parisi for Brugnoli Mobili Cantù. The console is totally in wood and has 3 drawers. Therefore it can be multifunctional: you can put books, o...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsWood
- 20th Century Ico Parisi Wooden Writing Desk with Two Drawers, 50sBy Ico ParisiLocated in Turin, TurinIco Parisi was born in Palermo, Italy, in 1916, but as early as 1925 with his family he moved to Como, where in 1936 he graduated as a building surveyor and served an apprenticeship at the Terragni studio. Discharged from the front in 1943, he returned to Como and resumed his design activity, dealing with the creation of individual furnishings, exhibition layouts and interior architecture. He collaborated with Luisa Aiani, whom he married in 1947 and with whom he opened the studio La Ruota. In the 50s he designed furniture, first in one-piece and later for Industrial Production with companies such as Cassina. In the 60s, with the "Contenitoriumani" he began a new path aimed at defining a utopian-existential IDEA of living. The culmination of his research is between 1974 and 1976 with "Operation Arcevia," aimed at designing an entire Community. Here we have a wooden desk designed...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- 20th Century Ico Parisi Table Lamp Mod. Palpebra for Lamperti, 70sBy Ico Parisi, LampertiLocated in Turin, TurinIco Parisi was born in Palermo, Italy, in 1916, but as early as 1925 with his family he moved to Como, where in 1936 he graduated as a building surveyor and served an apprenticeship ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- 20th Century Ico Parisi Pair Armchair Ariberto Colombo Cantù 50s Bergère GreyBy Ico Parisi, Ariberto ColomboLocated in Turin, TurinPair of very beautiful armchairs bergère designed by Ico Parisi in 1950s for Ariberto Colombo, Cantù. The couple of Armchairs are in very good condition. Published in: Lietti F., “I...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Ico Parisi SofaBy Ico Parisi, CassinaLocated in New York, NYRare 865 sofa by Ico Parisi for Cassina. Black & white painted steel, fabric. Produced by Cassina. Recently re-upholstered. Metal appears to have been re-painted at some point, but s...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Ico Parisi sofaBy Ico ParisiLocated in London, GBBeautiful and very elegant Ico Parisi sofa, with brass legs, Italy, 19590'sCategory
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Ico Parisi Sofa, 1950By Ico Parisi, Ariberto ColomboLocated in Berlin, DEThe sophisticated and avantgardistic design language of Ico Parisi is epitomized in this beautiful three seater. For the entrance of a villa in Como, Ico Parisi designed this beautiful seater. It consists of beautiful ash wood, brass and upholstery of velvet in elegant blue. Excellent condition. The model in question takes up the motif given by the repetition of the wooden X-shaped crosses that draw the three seats and resolve the support of the padded backrests. In this case, the supporting structure, carved in solid ash, is completed by short legs, a logical continuation of the uprights, which mark the seats. The upholstery is not original. About the designer: Ico Parisi was born in Palermo in 1916. He graduated in construction and served his apprenticeship in the studio of Giuseppe Terragni. In 1937 he made a photographic study of the Casa del Fascio for the magazine Quadrante, which marked the whole of Parisi's research into "meditating on the legacies and contradictions of the enormous store of ideas and forms constituted by the experience of the masters". His activity, marked by continuous experimentation, consists in an incessant research in the fields of architecture, art and design. Between 1948 and 1950 he devoted himself to the study of furniture elements. In the field of design, the crucial encounters with Munari and Fontana (1951), and Melotti profoundly marked his experience. In 1948 he founded, with his wife Luisa Aiani, planner and designer, the studio La ruota which ceased its activity in 1995. In 1954 he won the Gold Medal at the Milan Triennial X with the work Padiglione soggiorno, with Silvio Longhi and Luigi Antonietti. In 1957 he presented the work Casa per vacanze at the exhibition Colori e forme della casa d'oggi, the result of a collaboration with Manlio Rho...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Ico Parisi Sofa Model 865By Ico Parisi, CassinaLocated in New York, NYIco Parisi Sofa Model 865. Enameled metal and upholstery. Manufacture: Figli di Amedeo Cassina Lit: Roberta Lietti: Ico Parisi Design - Catalogue R...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsMetal
- Magnificent curved sofà by Ico ParisiBy Ico ParisiLocated in Piacenza, ItalyWonderful curved sofà by Ico Parisi for Ariberto Colombo Cantu' Published in R. Aloi Sedie, Poltrone, Divani ,Milano 1953Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Ico Parisi Style Mid-Century Modern Italian Sofa, 1950sBy Ico ParisiLocated in Puglia, PugliaThree seater sofa in the style of Ico Parisi. Very elegant and comfortable, with floral fabric upholstery, the upholstery was redone twenty years ago but new upholstery is recommended.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Beech
