In 1946, at the start of a postwar boom in Europe, Enrico Cappellini opened the doors to a small furniture studio in the Italian town of Carugo. But it wasn’t until his son joined the company nearly three decades later that Cappellini became a powerhouse fixture on the global design stage. Today Cappellini is one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of innovative chairs, tables and decorative objects.
Giulio Cappellini joined the family company in 1977 and, with his appointment, ushered in a stage of boundary-pushing modernism and prolific creativity at Cappellini. With a dual background in architecture and business management, Giulio was well equipped to steer the brand into both innovative design and economic growth in a rapidly globalizing economy.
The second-generation leader’s first major success came in 1981, with the launch of Sistemi, a modular, hyperfunctional storage system that would come to symbolize the chic functionality of Cappellini. That was quickly followed by a collaboration with renowned Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata for the Progetti Compiuti collection, a line that brought unexpected playfulness to the simple framework of a black-and-white cabinet and remains an iconic collectible today.
That first collaboration opened the doors to a prolific output of partnerships, with Cappellini tapping such star designers as Jasper Morrison, Marcel Wanders, Tom Dixon, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Nendo for collections over the ensuing decades that spanned a range of materials and styles. Speaking to this range, Marc Newson’s plumply curvaceous 1988 Embryo chair, Jasper Morrison’s slightly arachnoid 1987 Thinking Man’s chair and Tom Dixon’s sculptural 1991 S-chair — each quite stylistically unique — remain some of the company’s most recognizable pieces, with the latter in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Cappellini, now headquartered in Milan, continues to partner with guest designers across furniture, storage and lighting solutions, though many of its 1970s and ’80s designs remain its most coveted today.
Find vintage Cappellini furniture on 1stDibs.
Millepiedi bookshelf in black and brass by Dimorestudio for Cappellini
By DIMORESTUDIO, Cappellini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Sinuous lines and Eastern elegance perfectly blend in the Millepiedi bookshelf, spin-off of the homonymous table designed by Dimorestudio in 2023. The weight-bearing structure, which...
Metal
$26,840 / item
Bookshelf by Shiro Kuramata for Cappellini
By Shiro Kuramata, Cappellini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed by Shiro Kuramata, Bookshelf is a two-sided module made of white matte lacquered panels. The particularity of this bookshelf is the varying size of the compartments, which p...
Metal
Cappelletti ALIANTE bookshelf by Giulio Cappellini, Rodolfo Dordoni
By Cappellini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Aliante bookshelf by Giulio Cappellini and Rodolfo Dordoni comes in an array of wall-hanging configurations and consists of a metal structure paired with wooden shelves. The su...
Metal
$9,988 / item
Red Bookcase bookshelf by Rejo Studio for Cappellini
By REJO design studio, Cappellini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The RED Bookcase by REJO studio transcends mere functionality, becoming a distinctive element within any personal library. Crafted from premium ash wood veneer, open pore lacquered i...
Ash
Millepiedi chromed bookshelf by Dimorestudio for Cappellini
By Cappellini, DIMORESTUDIO
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Sinuous lines and Eastern elegance perfectly blend in the Millepiedi bookshelf, spin-off of the homonymous table designed by Dimorestudio in 2023. The weight-bearing structure, which...
Metal
$2,993
H 47.64 in W 55.12 in D 14.57 in
Marcel Breuer Bauhaus S44 bookshelf in chrome and walnut veneer for Tecta
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Bookshelf original designed by Marcel Breuer in 1932 for the Clarté House in Geneva. Simple and carefully designed appearance with four height-adjustable shelves in walnut veneer sup...
Metal, Chrome
$4,310Sale Price|20% Off
H 103.15 in W 84.77 in D 18.67 in
1980s Bookshelf, Walnut and Black Satin Lacquer, Sormani, Italy
Located in Arosio, IT
In the early 1980s, Luigi Sormani envisaged what would become a hit of the 1990s, later adopted by Antonio Citterio with B&B Italia: a modular shelving that tipped the modularity...
Wood, Walnut
Secession Bookshelf
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Secession bookshelf professionally stained and repolished.
Wood
Modular Bookshelf by Carlo dé Carli for Fiarm, Italy, 1970s
By Fiarm, Carlo di Carli
Located in Roma, IT
Modular bookshelf system realized by Carlo dé Carli in 1970s. Curved plywood and ash veneer. Manufacturer's label: FIARM Scorzè (Venezia), Made in Italy. An elegant expression of ...
Wood
Red Bookcase by Rejo Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Red Bookcase by Rejo Studio Dimensions: D 180 x W 45 x H 145 cm Materials: Wood Also Available in different colour. REJO is a design studio based in Ri...
Wood
$16,561 / item
H 41.34 in W 15.75 in D 118.12 in
21st Century Studio Irvine Fusto Bookcase Mod.I Concrete Bookshelf Green Cement
By Marialaura Rossiello
Located in Rome, Lazio
Bookcase part of a collection of modular system in ultra-high performing cement mortar. UHPC tabletop and base colored in the mixture and sandblasted. Available in eight different co...
Concrete
$16,561 / item
H 41.34 in W 15.75 in D 118.12 in
21st Century Studio Irvine Fusto Bookcase Mod.I Concrete Bookshelf Beige Cement
By Marialaura Rossiello
Located in Rome, Lazio
Bookcase part of a collection of modular system in ultra-high performing cement mortar. UHPC tabletop and base colored in the mixture and sandblasted. Available in eight different co...
Concrete
$3,831Sale Price|20% Off
H 39.38 in W 60.24 in D 10.63 in
Bookshelf BM 291 by Børge Mogensen for Fredericia Stolefabrik, Denmark 1956.
By Fredericia Stolefabrik, Børge Mogensen
Located in Antwerp, BE
Magnificent bookshelf by Børge Mogensen for Fredericia Stolefabrik, Denmark 1956. This is model BM 291 in oak and features 3 shelfs. Authentic piece in its original well presented co...
Oak, Pine
$22,890
H 66.93 in W 22.45 in D 22.45 in
Nikko Drawers in Metal and Wood by Shiro Kuramata for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Shiro Kuramata
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Nikko drawers in metal and wood by Shiro Kuramata for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: Drawers on metal structure, in wood and painted finish. Collection: Memph...
Metal
Marianne Bookshelf by Mingardo
Located in Geneve, CH
Marianne bookshelf by Mingardo Dimensions: D62 x W30 x H240 cm Materials: Matte nickel structure, tempered glass shelves. Natural brass details w...
Brass, Nickel
$8,380 / item
H 110.24 in W 35.83 in D 35.83 in
Contemporary Gingko Bookshelf System in Metal and Hardwood
By Pietro Russo Design
Located in Agrate Brianza (MB), Lombardy
This exhibitor design pays honor to Ginko Biloba, an elegant, ancient, regal, exceptional tree with magnificent fan-shaped leaves. The matte black painted iron structure is floor-to-ceiling tensioned with an Expansion system. The carved wood shelves...
Iron
$95,550Sale Price|25% Off
H 114.18 in W 157.49 in D 17.72 in
Bookshelf by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazilian Midcentury, 1960s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
A prolific and gifted designer, Joaquim Tenreiro (1906–1992) masterfully laid the groundwork for modern living in Brazil through his furniture and interiors. Born in Portugal and tra...
Wood, Hardwood