Azucena Lampada Poltrona

Vintage Azucena furniture is elegant and inviting — the esteemed mid-century Milanese manufacturer’s wall lights, armchairs and side tables, which are marked by simple symmetry and thoughtfully contrasting materials, can likely be found in the living rooms of design lovers all over Italy.

Azucena was founded in 1947 by three leading figures of 20th-century Italian architecture: Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Ignazio Gardella and Corrado Corradi Dell’Acqua. The trio initially established Azucena in order to furnish the interiors of buildings they’d designed but found a robust business opportunity in manufacturing individual pieces from those collections for postwar consumers. And as the company founders borrowed the brand name from a conniving character in the Giuseppe Verd opera Il Trovatore, it is appropriate, then, that the furniture for which Azucena is known is practical but exudes a hint of playfulness.

The best of Italian modernism combines cheekiness and bold functionality with provocative and thoughtful design, and Azucena is deeply rooted in that tradition. While its brass-and-walnut mid-century-modern-era dining tables and stackable coffee tables — created by the likes of Dell’Acqua and Vico Magistretti — are exceptionally unobtrusive in small spaces and framed in clean lines, Dominioni designed chunky, enveloping armchairs during the 1970s upholstered in striking red fabric.

Among Azucena's most successful and iconic designs is also Dominioni's most famous piece of furniture: the minimalist Catalina chair. After it debuted at the Milan Triennial in 1957, the Catalina chair, with its generously curving enameled steel frame and plush leather cushion, became an instant sensation. Dominioni’s other enduring designs for Azucena include the Monachella lamp, the ABCD armchair and the versatile Cilindro ottoman.

Italian furniture manufacturer B&B Italia acquired Azucena in 2018 and has reissued a number of designs from the legendary brand’s portfolio, such as the Imbuto lamp, the Catalina armchair and the Cavalletto table.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Azucena lighting, tables, seating and more.

The right table lamp, outwardly sculptural chandelier or understated wall pendant can work wonders for your home. While we’re indebted to thinkers like Thomas Edison for critically important advancements in lighting and electricity, we’re still finding new ways to customize illumination to fit our personal spaces all these years later. A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs.

Today, lighting designers like the self-taught Bec Brittain have used the flexible structure of LEDs to craft glamorous solutions by working with what is typically considered a harsh lighting source. By integrating glass and mirrors, reflection can be used to soften the glow from LEDs and warmly welcome light into any space.

Although contemporary innovators continue to impress, some of the classics can’t be beat. 

Just as gazing at the stars allows you to glimpse the universe’s past, vintage chandeliers like those designed by Gino Sarfatti and J. & L. Lobmeyr, for example, put on a similarly stunning show, each with a rich story to tell.

As dazzling as it is, the Arco lamp, on the other hand, prioritizes functionality — it’s wholly mobile, no drilling required. Designed in 1962 by architect-product designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the piece takes the traditional form of a streetlamp and creates an elegant, arching floor fixture for at-home use.

There is no shortage of modernist lighting similarly prized by collectors and casual enthusiasts alike — there are Art Deco table lamps created in a universally appreciated style, the Tripod floor lamp by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Greta Magnusson Grossman's sleek and minimalist Grasshopper lamps and, of course, the wealth of mid-century experimental lighting that emerged from Italian artisans at Arredoluce, FLOS and many more are hallmarks in illumination innovation. 

With decades of design evolution behind it, home lighting is no longer just practical. Crystalline shaping by designers like Gabriel Scott turns every lighting apparatus into a luxury accessory. A new installation doesn’t merely showcase a space; carefully chosen ceiling lights, table lamps and floor lamps can create a mood, spotlight a favorite piece or highlight your unique personality.

The sparkle that your space has been missing is waiting for you amid the growing collection of antique, vintage and contemporary lighting for sale on 1stDibs.