Architect and designer Cesare Lacca is renowned for the modernist furniture he created during the 1950s. Made with materials like teak, glass and brass, his work continues to command great interest from mid-century modern collectors. His pieces have recently found their way onto some of the 21st century’s most trendy television and movie sets.
Lacca was born in Naples, Italy, in 1929. Like many Italian designers in the 20th century, he moved to Milan after World War II to launch his career. At the age of 20, he was selected by a group of American curators for inclusion in the 1951 landmark exhibition “Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today” at the Art Institute of Chicago. It showcased Italian designers who had embraced modernist principles and rejuvenated traditional Italian crafts, like Carlo Mollino, Franco Albini and Gio Ponti.
Lacca designed a dizzying array of tea carts and serving trolleys across his career, including magazine racks and coffee tables. Lacca’s most well-known piece is a tea cart — most commonly used as a bar cart — that Cassina manufactured. It features beautifully sculpted beech, cedar, teak and walnut with brass details, a glass tabletop and a removable glass tray.
This Lacca cart was featured as Don Draper’s office bar in his Manhattan advertising agency on several episodes of the wildly popular television show Mad Men, reinvigorating the interest of collectors. Several other Lacca pieces have been part of the set decorations in the television series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and the movie Being the Ricardos.
On 1stDibs, find Cesare Lacca tables, racks and stands, seating and more.
Pair of velvet Easy Chairs by Cesare Lacca, circa 1950
By Cesare Lacca
Located in Berlin, DE
A pair of very rare easy chairs. Raspberry velvet cover, fringes, in original condition. Front legs are made of brass, back legs are made of walnut wood.
Brass
Pair of Classic Midcentury Danish 1950s Low Easy Lounge Chairs
By Hvidt & Mølgaard
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Elegant pair of 1940s small scale lounge chairs attributed to Peter Hvidt and Orla Molgaard made in Denmark between 1940-1950. The chairs exhibits the rolled armrest detail and taper...
Mohair, Beech
Pair of Easy Chairs by Børge Mogensen
By Børge Mogensen
Located in Montclair, NJ
A pair of leather chairs with stained oak legs. Sides, back and loose cushions upholstered in terracotta coloured leather. Model 2207. Designed 1963. Manufactured and marked by Fr...
Leather
Italian Turquoise Velvet Sofa by Cesare Lacca, 1950s
By Cesare Lacca
Located in Nicolosi, IT
Elegant two-seater sofa designed by Cesare Lacca in Italy during the 1950s. This sculptural piece embodies the refined balance between organic form and architectural precision typica...
Velvet, Wood
Easy Chair by Isa Bergamo, Italy, 1950s
By ISA Bergamo
Located in Milan, IT
Easy chair by Isa Bergamo. Sinuous upholstered chair with original fabric and brass feet.
Brass
Brazilian Pair of Easy Chairs
Located in Brussel, BE
Brazilian pair of easy chairs with new fabric.
Fabric, Wood
$7,177 / set
H 27.56 in W 23.23 in D 28.35 in
Sculptural pair of Italian easy chairs in walnut from the 1950s.
Located in Antwerp, BE
A lovely pair of Italian easy chairs from the 1950s, showcasing the elegance and fluidity of mid-century design. Executed in warm-toned walnut, the frames reveal beautifully sculpted...
Walnut
$21,533
H 31.11 in W 62.21 in D 31.5 in
Exceptional Curved Cesare Lacca Sofa in Fadini Borghi Velvet, Italy, 1950s
By Cesare Lacca, La Maison Pierre Frey
Located in The Hague, NL
This exceptional two-seater sofa was designed by Cesare Lacca and produced in Italy in the early 1950s. The elegant, rounded lines of the backrest and curved seat create a sophistica...
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Walnut
$5,500 / set
H 27.25 in W 26 in D 29.5 in
Pair of 1950s Easy Chairs by Bengt Ruda for Nordiska Kompagniet, Sweden
By Bengt Ruda, NK (Nordiska Kompaniet)
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A rare and very cool pair of Bengt Ruda midcentury beech easy chairs designed around mid 1950 and produced around the same time by Nordiska Kompaniet (NK), Sweden’s premiere departme...
Wool, Beech
Pair of easy chairs by Arne Wahl Iversen
By Arne Wahl Iversen
Located in Genarp, SE
These elegant lounge chairs, designed by Arne Wahl Iversen, are a clear example of the timeless aesthetic of Danish modernism. With their gently curved wooden armrests and generously...
Teak
Oswald Haerdtl Set of Four Easy Chairs, 1950s
By Thonet, Oswald Haerdtl
Located in Almelo, NL
Oswald Haerdtl set of four easy chairs, the 1950s A rare set of four easy chairs was designed by the Austrian designer Oswald Haerdtl and pr...
Ash, Beech, Bentwood
Armchair by Cesare Lacca for ISA Bergamo
By Cesare Lacca, ISA Bergamo
Located in Conversano, IT
Extraordinary armchair designed by Cesare Lacca for the renowned manufacturer ISA (Industria Salotti e Arredamenti) Bergamo, dating back to the 1950s. This piece is an emblematic exa...
Brass
Pair of Italian 1950's Scalloped Shaped Velvet Lounge Chairs
Located in New York, NY
A decadently designed pair of Italian 1950's lounge chairs with a scalloped or petal shaped form. These classic and exquisite lounge chairs have been fully restored and newly reuphol...
Brass