Nuvola Rossa
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Shelves
Beech
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Bookcases
Metal
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Scandinavian Modern Bookcases
Beech
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Table Lamps
Metal
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
Recent Sales
Vintage 1970s Italian Bookcases
Beech
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Shelves
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Wood
Italian Shelves
Wood
20th Century Italian Shelves
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wicker, Wood
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Stools
Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Wood, Paint
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Wood
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Aluminum
2010s Dutch Modern Serving Bowls
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
Wood
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Textile, Wood, Linen, Fiberglass
2010s South African Minimalist Pedestals
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Scandinavian Modern Wall Lights a...
Brass, Nickel
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Stools
Oak
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Picture Frames
Metal
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Barware
Marble
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Teak
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
Antique 17th Century Italian Baroque Architectural Elements
Iron
Vintage 1920s Dutch Art Deco Cabinets
Cut Glass, Ebony, Burl
Nuvola Rossa For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Nuvola Rossa?
Vico Magistretti for sale on 1stDibs
As one of the founding fathers of modern Italian design, prolific architect and industrial designer Ludovico Magistretti (known by his nickname Vico) was guided by his philosophy, “There is no excuse for bad design.” His architectural projects are widely revered, and an ingenious meld of form and function can be found in his stylish and deceptively simple table lamps, sofas, armchairs and other mid-century furnishings.
Born in Milan, Magistretti followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both architects) to study architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. At the outbreak of World War II, he fled to Switzerland, and it was there he met his role model and mentor, renowned humanist architect Ernesto Nathan Rogers. Magistretti was inspired by Rogers’s vision to revive postwar Italy, and they collaborated on several reconstruction projects. Among Magistretti’s first architectural designs is a “poetic” round church, which he created for the QT8, an experimental Milanese neighborhood.
When Magistretti returned to Milan in 1945, he worked at his father’s architectural firm. It wasn’t until the early 1950s that he expanded his talents into design while working with furniture artisans.
In the 1960s, Magistretti began his 30-year working relationship with famed entrepreneur Cesare Cassina of the Cassina furniture manufacturing company. In their design approach, the two men shared a vision of the relationship between modernity and tradition and enjoyed a close bond (Magistretti designed Cassina’s luxurious villa in 1965). However, their friendship was not without contention.
Legend has it that upon seeing the prototype for Magistretti’s Maralunga sofa, Cassina hated it so much that he punched it, breaking the back of the sofa, which crumpled into itself.
“Right, great, it looks perfect to me like that,” an unfazed Magistretti allegedly responded, and the Maralunga’s slumped, adjustable-height backrest was born. Incidentally, the Maralunga sofa won Italy’s Compasso d’Oro award as did his Eclisse lamp for Artemide and his Atollo lamp for Oluce.
Magistretti died in 2006, but his designs live on in galleries, museums and private residences and offices around the world.
Find a range of vintage Vico Magistretti furniture and lighting on 1stDibs.













