Architect, freelance journalist and furniture designer Luigi Massoni (1930–2013) was instrumental in the growth of Italy’s postwar design industry through his advertising campaigns, his work at Italian magazines and revolutionary products such as his vanity tables.
Vanities have forever felt like personal, intimate sanctuaries, and vintage Luigi Massoni vanity tables are on the wish list of many mid-century modern design enthusiasts.
Massoni’s Dilly Dally vanity unit, initially created for Poltrona Frau in the late 1960s, is a seductive iteration of this widely loved furnishing. With its sleek cylindrical plastic shell and plush leatherette seat — which tucks into a dressing table on chromed wheels that features a lift-top panel enclosing the unit’s mirror — the Milanese designer’s distinctive nesting Dilly Dally vanity table as well as his other mid-century modern vanities have garnered a legion of admirers on social media these days, to no surprise.
Find a range of vintage Luigi Massoni vanity tables, lighting and other furniture today on 1stDibs.
Luigi Massoni was one of Italy’s most prolific designers and instrumental in the growth of the country’s design industry in the postwar years through his products, advertising campaigns and journalistic work at Italian magazines.
Born in Milan, Massoni trained at the Collettivo di Architettura in Milan and worked as an architect and designer as well as a freelance journalist and consultant. He was involved with many of Italy’s most influential brands, such as Poltrona Frau, the Guzzini group and Alessi. Massoni was hired by Alessi, the legendary housewares and kitchen utensils manufacturer, which had been around since 1921, in the mid-1950s. In 1957, he collaborated with like-minded product designer Carlo Mazzeri on the universally renowned stainless-steel cocktail shaker 870, which, followed by other kitchen containers for the brand, was one of the first objects from Alessi that hadn’t been created in-house.
Together with architect Carlo De Carli, Massoni founded a magazine called Il Mobile Italiano and later Mobilia, an association of Italian furniture makers and one of the first organizations that focused on the promotion of Italian design. In the 1960s, Massoni began to design lamps and serveware for Guzzini, where he also consulted on design and company communications. He designed revolutionary furnishings for the kitchen at Boffi Cucine, producing modular kitchens, cabinets without traditional handles and more.
On 1stDibs, browse a collection of vintage Luigi Massoni vanity tables, sideboards, table lamps and more.
Vintage vanities trace back to the dressing tables of 18th-century France, where the poudreuse held powders and mirrors for a lady's toilette. The look later split in two: the gilded flourish of Art Deco and Louis XV, and the pared-back simplicity of the mid-century makeup vanity.
Styles to Know
Mid-century makeup vanities with slim tapered legs are seeing strong search interest, though Art Deco vanities with mirrored or lacquered finishes remain a popular choice for more formal bedrooms. A vintage mirror completes the piece if it doesn't already include one, and a vintage table lamp adds flattering light.
How to Choose the Right Vintage Vanity
A vanity works best near a window or another source of natural light, worth keeping in mind when planning where it will sit, and the knee-clearance height is worth checking against the stool you intend to pair with it. Each piece comes from a vetted 1stDibs seller, with era, designer and condition detailed. Backed by the 1stDibs Promise on every order.