At 1stDibs, there are many versions of the ideal Italian plastic for your home. An Italian plastic — often made from
plastic,
metal and
chrome — can elevate any home. There are 2465 variations of the antique or vintage Italian plastic you’re looking for, while we also have 1062 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. There are many kinds of the Italian plastic you’re looking for, from those produced as long ago as the 18th Century to those made as recently as the 21st Century. When you’re browsing for the right Italian plastic, those designed in
Mid-Century Modern,
Modern and
Hollywood Regency styles are of considerable interest. A well-made Italian plastic has long been a part of the offerings for many furniture designers and manufacturers, but those produced by
Kartell,
Slamp and
Artemide are consistently popular.
Arguably the world’s most ubiquitous man-made material, plastic has impacted nearly every industry. In contemporary spaces, new and vintage plastic furniture is quite popular and its use pairs well with a range of design styles.
From the Italian lighting artisans at Fontana Arte to venturesome Scandinavian modernists such as Verner Panton, who created groundbreaking interiors as much as he did seating — see his revolutionary Panton chair — to contemporary multidisciplinary artists like Faye Toogood, furniture designers have been pushing the boundaries of plastic forever.
When The Graduate's Mr. McGuire proclaimed, “There’s a great future in plastics,” it was more than a laugh line. The iconic quote is an allusion both to society’s reliance on and its love affair with plastic. Before the material became an integral part of our lives — used in everything from clothing to storage to beauty and beyond — people relied on earthly elements for manufacturing, a process as time-consuming as it was costly.
Soon after American inventor John Wesley Hyatt created celluloid, which could mimic luxury products like tortoiseshell and ivory, production hit fever pitch, and the floodgates opened for others to explore plastic’s full potential. The material altered the history of design — mid-century modern legends Charles and Ray Eames, Joe Colombo and Eero Saarinen regularly experimented with plastics in the development of tables and chairs, and today plastic furnishings and decorative objects are seen as often indoors as they are outside.
Find vintage plastic lounge chairs, outdoor furniture, lighting and more on 1stDibs.