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Paolo Buffa Chairs

Italian, 1903-1970

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.

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Creator: Paolo Buffa
Paolo Buffa Pair of Italian Chiavari High Back Chairs in Blonde Beechwood, 1950s
Paolo Buffa Pair of Italian Chiavari High Back Chairs in Blonde Beechwood, 1950s

Paolo Buffa Pair of Italian Chiavari High Back Chairs in Blonde Beechwood, 1950s

By Paolo Buffa, Chiavari

Located in Roma, IT

Woderful pair of high back Chiavari chairs made ina charming blonde beech wood with blue faux leather sear. These elegant chairs were designed by Paolo Buffa and produced in Italy du...

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1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Wood, Beech, Faux Leather

Pair If Italian Modern Lounge Chairs By Paolo Buffa
Pair If Italian Modern Lounge Chairs By Paolo Buffa

Pair If Italian Modern Lounge Chairs By Paolo Buffa

By Guglielmo Ulrich, Gio Ponti, Paolo Buffa, Osvaldo Borsani, ISA Bergamo

Located in Houston, TX

Pair Of Italian Modern Lounge Chairs By Paolo Buffa. Offered is a sculptural pair of mid century Italian lounge chairs or side chairs by renowned designer Paolo Buffa. This pair of I...

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1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Chairs

Materials

Velvet, Walnut

Pair of Paolo Buffa chairs
Pair of Paolo Buffa chairs

Pair of Paolo Buffa chairs

By Paolo Buffa

Located in Paris, FR

PAOLO BUFFA Pair of bedroom chairs. Solid cherry wood, braided hemp rope. Certificate of authenticity Archivio Eredi Marelli. Dimensions: 85x45x48 cm Very good general condition. R...

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Mid-20th Century Italian Organic Modern Paolo Buffa Chairs

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Four Black Lacquered Chairs by Paolo Buffa
Four Black Lacquered Chairs by Paolo Buffa

Four Black Lacquered Chairs by Paolo Buffa

$4,480Sale Price / set|20% Off

Four Black Lacquered Chairs by Paolo Buffa

By Paolo Buffa

Located in Kilmarnock, VA

A refined and architecturally striking set of chairs by Paolo Buffa, crafted in Italy in the 1940s. Executed in solid wood with a satin black lacquer finish and upholstered in full-g...

Category

1950s Italian Vintage Paolo Buffa Chairs

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Pair of Ladder Back Armchairs in the style of Paolo Buffa, c.1950s
Pair of Ladder Back Armchairs in the style of Paolo Buffa, c.1950s

Pair of Ladder Back Armchairs in the style of Paolo Buffa, c.1950s

By Paolo Buffa

Located in London, GB

Pair of Italian Paolo Buffa ladder back armchairs pleasingly proportioned on cylindrical legs and softly curved ladder backs. Italian, c.1950's. Dimensions: H118 x W70 x D62 cm. Paolo Buffa’s (1903-1970) love of the neoclassic is incorporated into sumptuous pieces of furniture, made in sweeping curves of rosewood with simple detailing. There is a perfect blend not only of mid-century pragmatism about pieces, but the centuries of traditions that came before. Working initially under Gio Ponti...

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20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Chairs

Materials

Wood

Paolo Buffa set of 6 elegant dining chairs
Paolo Buffa set of 6 elegant dining chairs

Paolo Buffa set of 6 elegant dining chairs

By Paolo Buffa

Located in Milano, IT

Paolo Buffa (1903-1970) Set of 6 elegant dining chairs in walnut with nice carved back and upholsterd seat. Manifactured by Serafino Arrighi, Italy, 1938. Bibl. Mobili di Paolo Bu...

Category

Early 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Chairs

Materials

Walnut

Emanuele Rambaldi for Paolo Buffa Single Oak Wood and Straw Chair, Italy 1940s
Emanuele Rambaldi for Paolo Buffa Single Oak Wood and Straw Chair, Italy 1940s

Emanuele Rambaldi for Paolo Buffa Single Oak Wood and Straw Chair, Italy 1940s

By Paolo Buffa, Emanuele Rambaldi

Located in Milan, IT

Splendid Emanuele Rambaldi for Paolo Buffa Single Oak Wood and Straw Chair, Italy 1940s

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1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Chairs

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Straw, Oak

Italian Pair of Chiavari High Back Chairs by Gaetano Descalzi, Ebonized Mahogany
Italian Pair of Chiavari High Back Chairs by Gaetano Descalzi, Ebonized Mahogany

Italian Pair of Chiavari High Back Chairs by Gaetano Descalzi, Ebonized Mahogany

By Fratelli Levaggi, Paolo Buffa

Located in Vigonza, Padua

Elegant Mid century modern pair of Chiavari high back chairs, Italy, in ebonized mahogany . Re-upholstered Famous interpretation of the Chiavari chair by the great Milan architect P...

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Early 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Chairs

Materials

Mahogany

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Previously Available Items
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Paolo Buffa sculptural side chair Mario Quarti Italy 1949
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Located in Baranzate, IT

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Set of 1950s Paolo Buffa Chairs

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Located in Milano, IT

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Located in Milano, IT

Paolo Buffa (1903-1970) Set of six elegant dining chairs in walnut with nice carved back and upholsterd seat. Manifactured by Serafino Arrighi, Italy, 1950's. Bibl. Mobili di ...

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Located in Milano, IT

Great and very rare pair of armchairs by Paolo Buffa from the 1950s. The pair of armchairs is made of walnut wood, with elegant geometric markings present in their backs. In fact, th...

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Paolo Buffa chairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Paolo Buffa chairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Paolo Buffa chairs, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original chairs by Paolo Buffa were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider chairs by Vittorio Dassi, Ico Parisi, and Tobia Scarpa. Prices for Paolo Buffa chairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $767 and can go as high as $16,174, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $5,406.