Collectors of vintage mid-century modern furniture will find that the work of Italian designer Vittorio Dassi and Dassi Mobili Moderni is elegant and sculptural, brimming with all of the clean, angular lines and pleasing symmetry associated with the best of the era’s offerings.
While Dassi's name is less known to enthusiasts of the period’s furniture than the likes of Ico and Luisa Parisi, Franco Albini and other leading lights of mid-20th century Italian design, his case pieces, tables and seating will prove no less worthy of hunting down at today's flea markets and online marketplaces.
Wood was Dassi's preferred material — he favored rosewood, mahogany, walnut and other species for his covetable desks and wall units, which frequently featured decorative flourishes such as glass inlays, while a sideboard or buffet’s fronts might boast hand-carved geometric cutouts in lieu of brass door handles.
While little is known about Dassi's early life, it is believed that his career in furniture design began in 1940 at his family's company Dassi Mobili Moderni, in Lissone, Italy. Shortly thereafter, he took over managing the company from his father.
While Dassi produced dry bars and other case pieces during the 1950s that featured the motifs and ornament that are today attributed to the Art Deco movement, he created sumptuous mahogany nightstands topped with black glass and minimalist teak coffee tables that better represented the forward-looking spirit of mid-century modernism. His wall units of the era for Mobili Cantù are works of art — crafted in walnut and featuring birch veneers and high-gloss lacquer finishes as well as a single door front decorated with an abstract painting or otherwise provocative illustration, these structures would undoubtedly prove quite impressive to the likes of Poul Cadovius and George Nelson.
Dassi often collaborated with Italian architect, editor and furniture designer Gio Ponti. Ponti designed thousands of furnishings and products — from cabinets, mirrors and chairs to ceramics and coffeemakers — and his buildings, including the brawny Pirelli Tower (1956) in his native Milan, and the castle-like Denver Art Museum (1971), were erected in 14 countries. A collaboration between Dassi and Ponti of note is the pair’s work on the Hotel Royal in Naples — Ponti was commissioned to design the hotel and he partnered with Dassi to design the hotel's furnishings.
Today, Dassi Mobili Moderni S.R.L. is still in operation in Lissone.
Find vintage Dassi Mobili Moderni furniture by Fratelli Turri, Edmondo Palutari and other designers on 1stDibs.
$3,266Sale Price|20% Off
Minimal Italian Mid-Century Geometric Cabinet Bar Mahogany Dassi Milano
By Dassi Mobili Moderni
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Minimal Italian mid-century geometric cabinet bar mahogany Dassi Milano. In the center a large door with a bar compartment for spirits and glasses...
Laminate, Mahogany
Highboard by Edmondo Palutari for Dassi Mobili Moderni, 1960s
By Edmondo Palutari, Dassi Mobili Moderni
Located in bruxelles, BE
Highboard with 4 drawers, 2 large doors containing 2 shelves, and a folding door containing one shelf. Wear due to age and time. FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR RECEIVE THE BEST PRICE
Wood
$2,332Sale Price|20% Off
H 38.19 in W 39.38 in D 24.41 in
Italy Late 19th Century Inlaid Walnut Buffet with Drawer or Low Cabinet
Located in Brescia, IT
This is a pleasant credenza or low cabinet, handmade in walnut with an inlaid in the same wood. The top has very beautiful drawing that distinguishes this antique buffet. Hand made...
Walnut
Italian Arte Povera Cabinet, Handcrafted Pinewood, 20th Century
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A black-white, grey Italian cabinet in the Arte Povera technique, made of hand crafted painted Pinewood, in good condition. The tall, rectangular Tuscan cupboard is composed with a s...
Metal
$5,196Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 36.25 in W 42 in D 21 in
Pair Mid-Century Modern Gilded Mahogany Buffets Cabinets, circa 1950
By Alberto Mastroianni
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This pair of Mid-Century Modern gilded mahogany buffets cabinets, circa 1950, perfectly embodies the bold yet elegant aesthetic of the era. Each cabinet is constructed with a rich ma...
Gold Leaf
$7,300
H 37.41 in W 90.16 in D 2,026.78 in
Gio Ponti - Inspired - Sideboard - Macassar - 1960s - Italy
By Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Located in Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija
Italian Macassar Sideboard with Brass Details, in the Style of Gio Ponti, Vittorio Dassi, 1960s Cinematic glamour distilled to line and sheen — a collector’s piece of Italian mid-cen...
Teak
H.W. Klein Sideboard, Bramin Møbler, Denmark, 1960s
By Bramin Mobler, Henry Walter Klein
Located in Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija
Stunning midcentury designed by Henri Walter Klein teak sideboard by Bramin Møbler, 1960s, lovely top and sliding doors, fully lined drawers and stands on nice solid teak legs. Fine...
Teak
ACO Møbler Sideboard, Gunni Omann, Denmark, 1960s
By Gunni Omann, Aco Møbler
Located in Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija
This sideboard by Gunni Omann is a true classic of Danish furniture design. The representative model number 13 is made of very high quality teak and is in an exceptionally good condi...
Teak
Vittorio Dassi Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboard Bar Cabinet
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
A 1950s Italian mid-century modern dry bar or cabinet designed by Vittorio Dassi. The top surface and outside bottom shelf are a very dark green glass. The doors and sides are rosew...
Brass
$2,974Sale Price|25% Off
H 37.41 in W 79.93 in D 19.69 in
Walnut Sideboard by Silvio Coppola for Bernini, Italy, 1960s
By Silvio Coppola, Bernini
Located in Steenwijk, NL
This walnut veneered sideboard was designed by Silvio Coppola for Bernini in Italy in the 1960s. A nice detail is that the 2 outer drawers open in a rounding. Because of its shape it...
Walnut
18th Century Italian Cabinet Embellished w/Original Hand-Painting
Located in Atlanta, GA
An Italian hand-painted cabinet from the 18th century. This antique cabinets from Italy has a rectangular-shaped top which slightly overhangs the case below which is fitted with a si...
Wood
$62,916 / item
H 36 in W 80 in D 23 in
Amuneal's Blue Lacquer Bar Cabinet with Brass Countertop and Integral Sink
By Amuneal
Located in New York, NY
Amuneal's Blue Lacquer Bar Cabinet with Brass Countertop and Integral Sink features hand-polished lacquered cabinet doors and drawer faces inlayed with buffed brass and integral pulls to create a modern, tailored statement. The composition of the lower cabinet is set off against a polished and patinated brass counter, which brings a timeless nuance to this modern design. Amuneal’s collector's wall hung shelves...
Brass
Italian Cabinet or Bar Attributed to Vittorio Dassi
By Guglielmo Ulrich, Ico Parisi, Osvaldo Borsani, Dassi, Gio Ponti
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Cabinet or Bar Attributed to Vittorio Dassi. Italian Mid-Century Modern bar, cabinet, credenza, cupboard or bookcase featuring gorgeous sculpted wood doors divided...
Bronze
19th Century Italian Niche Cabinet
Located in Round Top, TX
An outstanding 19th century Venetian Niche cabinet beautifully constructed in gilt and polychromed wood. The cabinet is a Deux Corps - in 2 sections. A f...
Wood
Sold
H 80.71 in W 114.18 in D 19.69 in
Italian Midcentury Walnut Long Sideboard with Mirror by Vittorio Dassi, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi, Dassi Mobili Moderni
Located in Traversetolo, IT
Stunning walnut long sideboard or buffet with mirror designed by Vittorio Dassi in the 1950s. It’s finished with two long shaped colored green g...
Mirror, Stained Glass, Maple, Walnut, Paint
Sold
H 46.86 in W 110.63 in D 22.05 in
Italian Rosewood Sideboard with Black Opaline Top by Vittorio Dassi, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi, Dassi Mobili Moderni
Located in Traversetolo, IT
Important and very rare rosewood sideboard with glass top in black opaline, designed by Vittorio Dassi in the 1950s. The body is supported by two grooved solid curved mahogany wood e...
Marble