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Ado Chale

Known to some as “the alchemist of high minerals,” Ado Chale uses semi-precious stones, metals and organic materials like fossilized sequoia and redwoods in his marvelous tables and decorative objects. Over the course of his long career, the prolific Belgian designer, sculptor and decorator turned a passion for mineralogy and love for the natural world into elegant, sculptural furniture.

Born Adolphe Pelsener in Brussels in 1928, the designer learned cabinetry from his woodworker father and trained in ironwork at a young age under local blacksmiths. During a trip to Germany in the late 1950s, he became enamored with minerals, and turned his attention to creating seating, tables and other furnishings with a range of unconventional materials.

At the beginning of the 1960s, Pelsener changed his name to Ado Chale and opened a gallery in Brussels with his wife, a gemologist named Huguette Schaal. He began to create sophisticated mosaic inlays for tabletops using pyrite fragments. He worked with malachite and turquoise and also worked in metal, producing decorative objects and furniture like his iconic aluminum goutte d’eau coffee tables. Chale used epoxy resin to lend his tables an opulent sheen. His incorporation of exquisite natural materials like agate and petrified wood rendered his furniture unlike anything else. Chale’s work was soon in high demand — his clientele included the Belgian royal family and notable architects and designers like Alberto Pinto, Peter Marino and Jacques Grange.

In 1967, Chale’s designs were included in the Universal Exhibition in Montreal. In the decades since, he has continued to exhibit his work, including at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels in 2017.

On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Ado Chale tables, lighting and more.

Average Sold Price
$7,748
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Ado Chale, "Goutte D’eau" Coffee Table, Aluminum, Black Metal, Belgium, 1970s
By Ado Chale
Located in High Point, NC
A "Goutte D’eau", aluminum and black metal coffee table designed and produced by Ado Chale, Brussels, Belgium, 1970s.
Category

1970s Belgian Modern Vintage Ado Chale

Materials

Metal, Aluminum

Ado Chale 'Goutte d’Eau' Coffee Table in Aluminium
By Ado Chale
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ado Chale, Goutte d’Eau coffee table, cast aluminum, lacquered steel, Belgium, 1978 The Goutte D’Eau coffee table is exemplary for Ado Chale’s exceptional talent in creating interio...
Category

1970s Belgian Post-Modern Vintage Ado Chale

Materials

Aluminum, Steel

Ado Chale 'Goutte d’Eau' Coffee Table in Aluminium
Ado Chale 'Goutte d’Eau' Coffee Table in Aluminium
$154,000
H 13.59 in W 59.06 in D 54.73 in
Dining or center table by Ado Chale
By Ado Chale
Located in Uccle, BE
Dining or center table by Ado Chale. Large dining table or center table with a resin top inlaid with Carnelian agate stones. Equipped with a double tripod foot with wide spacer. (Six...
Category

Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale

Materials

Carnelian

Dining or center table by Ado Chale
Dining or center table by Ado Chale
$286,298
H 28.15 in Dm 68.12 in
Ado Chale Early "Goutte d'Eau" Coffee Table in Bronze Signed, Belgium 1970s
By Ado Chale
Located in New York, NY
Ado Chale early rare "Goutte d'eau" oval coffee table with cast bronze table top on two sets of tripod black lacquered metal bases. This exquisite sculptural coffee table was made by...
Category

1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale

Materials

Bronze, Steel

Mid-Century Modern Lamp in Petrifies Wood by Ado Chale
By Ado Chale
Located in London, GB
This fine quality brass table lamp with one light, which directs a beam onto a large slab of petrified wood. Signed to base. There were only around five of these examples ever made ...
Category

1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale

Materials

Petrified Wood

Mid-Century Modern Lamp in Petrifies Wood by Ado Chale
Mid-Century Modern Lamp in Petrifies Wood by Ado Chale
$8,861 Sale Price
46% Off
H 23.63 in W 15.75 in D 15.16 in
Circular high pedestal table by Ado Chale, Belgium
By Ado Chale
Located in Uccle, BE
High circular pedestal table, in black resin inlaid with bone marquetry arranged in 4 circles of abstract design. The top resting on a large tripod foot with round sections, the rou...
Category

20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale

Materials

Resin

Ado Chale Circular Coffee Table Black Resin and Petrified Wood
By Ado Chale
Located in Brussels, BE
Ado Chale circular coffee table black resin and Arizona petrified wood, circa 1980, signed by the artist. Very good condition.
Category

1980s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale

Materials

Stone

Black Lacquered Resin Table by Ado Chale, Belgium
By Ado Chale
Located in Brussels, BE
Black Lacquered Resin Table by Ado Chale, Belgium
Category

Late 20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale

Materials

Resin

Black Lacquered Resin Table by Ado Chale, Belgium
Black Lacquered Resin Table by Ado Chale, Belgium
$26,163
H 13.39 in W 47.25 in D 23.63 in
Browse all Furniture from Ado Chale
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Ado Chale Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2025$13,295Coffee and Cocktail TablesResin1965
2024$2,200Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche, Decorative BowlsBronzecirca 1970
$7,748
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$2,200-$13,295
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Creators Similar to Ado Chale

Ado Chale furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Ado Chale furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Ado Chale furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Ado Chale were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Jean Claude Dresse, Lova Creations, and Etienne Allemeersch. Prices for Ado Chale furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,943 and can go as high as $105,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $28,538.

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