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.
1990s Belgian Modern Ado Chale
Metal
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Wood
1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Aluminum
1970s Belgian Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Metal, Aluminum
1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Petrified Wood
1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Metal
2010s Belgian Modern Ado Chale
Aluminum, Metal
20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Resin
1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Ado Chale
Bronze
1960s Belgian Organic Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Metal
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Steel
1980s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Stone
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Aluminum
1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Resin
2010s Indian Organic Modern Ado Chale
Brass
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Crystal, Metal
1970s Belgian Hollywood Regency Vintage Ado Chale
Brass, Chrome
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Plaster
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Rattan, Wood
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Ado Chale
Resin, Fiberglass, Glass
1970s European Vintage Ado Chale
Stone
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Ado Chale
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Ado Chale
Lucite, Petrified Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Ado Chale
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Ado Chale
Bronze
1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Bronze, Steel
1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Steel
1960s Belgian Brutalist Vintage Ado Chale
Rock Crystal, Tourmaline, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Ado Chale
Steel
1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Bronze
1980s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Metal
1990s Belgian Ado Chale
Metal
1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ado Chale
Bronze