Gaetano Pesce X Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta has garnered acclaim over the course of its long history for impeccable quality and unassuming elegance. Known for its signature intrecciato weave as well as the overall superb craftsmanship that characterizes its handbags, jackets, shoes and other items, the Italian luxury fashion house is revered all over the world.

Bottega Veneta was launched in 1966 in Vicenza, Italy, by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. Its artisans worked to produce by hand what were primarily leather goods, and from the start, the label’s focus on traditional craft techniques became integral to its now-global reputation for exceptional design.

Developed by Bottega Veneta in the late 1960s, the intrecciato weaving technique gives the brand’s bags their suppleness and strength. The northeastern Italian region where the label was founded was largely associated with clothing back then, and sewing machines at the local ateliers weren’t intended to be used with the strong leather with which Bottega’s artisans were working in order to create the house’s coveted bags, wallets and other accessories.

The precise weaving technique, which sees strips of fine leather woven by hand into a durable and robust pattern, was a practical solution. The resulting style has become a Bottega Veneta signature, making products such as its iconic Intrecciato Hobo handbag instantly recognizable.

Zengiaro left Bottega Veneta during the late 1970s, and Taddei then turned the brand over to his ex-wife, Laura Moltedo, and her second husband, Vittorio Moltedo. Designs took on a bolder look and the traditional craft approach was prioritized. The brand found success in the United States and expanded rapidly throughout the 1980s, becoming popular with celebrities and the cultural elite. American artist Andy Warhol often frequented the house’s Manhattan boutique and even made a short film for the company.

As competition increased during the 1990s, Bottega Veneta’s popularity declined. The company began to see an upswing after Gucci, which is owned by luxury group Kering, acquired them in 2001. Tomas Maier was appointed creative director by Gucci’s Tom Ford and worked to return to the understated beginnings that had defined the brand’s design ethos.

Maier’s celebrated Knot clutch, which was based on a 1978-era design and debuted in 2001, was a result of his enthusiasm for pared-back design as well as his efforts to showcase the house’s legacy of meticulous craftsmanship. In 2006, Bottega opened Scuola della Pelletteria to train the next generation of leatherworking artisans.

In 2018, British designer Daniel Lee took the role of creative director and earned a number of awards and accolades for the label. Before he left in 2021, Lee introduced an array of universally lauded designs such as Bottega Veneta Tire boots, the Cassette bag and the Mini Jodie, which is named after actress Jodie Foster. Matthieu Blazy was named creative director in 2021 following a history of design work for Celine, Maison Martin Margiela, Calvin Klein and other brands.

Find vintage Bottega Veneta footwear, accessories and clothing on 1stDibs.

Chairs are an indispensable component of your home and office. Can you imagine your life without the vintage, new or antique chairs you love?

With the exception of rocking chairs, the majority of the seating in our homes today — Windsor chairs, chaise longues, wingback chairs — originated in either England or France. Art Nouveau chairs, the style of which also originated in those regions, embraced the inherent magnificence of the natural world with decorative flourishes and refined designs that blended both curved and geometric contour lines. While craftsmanship and styles have evolved in the past century, chairs have had a singular significance in our lives, no matter what your favorite chair looks like.

“The chair is the piece of furniture that is closest to human beings,” said Hans Wegner. The revered Danish cabinetmaker and furniture designer was prolific, having designed nearly 500 chairs over the course of his lifetime. His beloved designs include the Wishbone chair, the wingback Papa Bear chair and many more.

Other designers of Scandinavian modernist chairs introduced new dynamics to this staple with sculptural flowing lines, curvaceous shapes and efficient functionality. The Paimio armchair, Swan chair and Panton chair are vintage works of Finnish and Danish seating that left an indelible mark on the history of good furniture design.

“What works good is better than what looks good, because what works good lasts,” said Ray Eames. 

Visionary polymaths Ray and Charles Eames experimented with bent plywood and fiberglass with the goal of producing affordable furniture for a mass market. Like other celebrated mid-century modern furniture designers of elegant low-profile furnishings — among them Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Finn Juhl — the Eameses considered ergonomic support, durability and cost, all of which should be top of mind when shopping for the perfect chair. The mid-century years yielded many popular chairs.

The Eameses introduced numerous icons for manufacturer Herman Miller, such as the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, molded plywood dining chairs the DCM and DCW (which can be artfully mismatched around your dining table) and a wealth of other treasured pieces for the home and office. 

A good chair anchors us to a place and can become an object of timeless appeal. Take a seat and browse the rich variety of vintage, new and antique chairs on 1stDibs today.