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 furniture by Fratelli Turri, Edmondo Palutari and other designers on 1stDibs.
$5,522Sale Price|20% Off
Mid-Century Modular Bookcase by Edmondo Palutari for Dassi, Italy, 1950s
By Edmondo Palutari, Dassi
Located in Catania, CT
Good vintage condition with trace of age and use and original patina on the wood and brass details. Designed by Edmondo Palutari and produced in Italy during the 60s by Dassi Mobili ...
Brass
Modular Bookcase in Teak Design Vittorio Dassi, 1960s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in taranto, IT
Original 1960s teak bookcase, Vittorio Dassi design, composed of three wooden uprights (not metal!), 3 closed elements of which 2 with sliding doors and one with folding doors, and 6...
Metal
$9,592
H 35.44 in W 104.34 in D 17.72 in
Edmondo Palutari Sideboard, Made by Dassi Mobili Iterni, 1960s
By Edmondo Palutari, Dassi Lissone
Located in Wolfurt, AT
This Italian sideboard dates back to the 1960s. The sideboard was designed by Edmondo Palutari and manufactured by Dassi Lissone. The board is made of rosewood and has two sliding do...
Brass
$4,737
H 25.99 in W 19.69 in D 66.93 in
Elegant Mid-Century Italian Chest of Drawers by Dassi, Italy, 1950s
By Dassi
Located in Argelato, BO
This mid-century Italian cabinet features an elegant and refined design, typical of the 1950s and 1960s. Crafted from wood with fine wood finishes, it boasts a slender frame with ang...
Brass
$20,200 / set
H 80 in W 40.25 in D 17 in
Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookshelves by Vittorio Dassi, Italy
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A dark-brown, vintage Mid-Century modern Italian pair of slim bookshelves with a top rack made of hand crafted polished Walnut and Rosewood, designed most likely by Vittorio Dassi in good condition. The upper part is composed with a foldable door, detailed with a none-adjustable glass shelf. The lower part is consisting two doors with one none-adjustable shelf, particularized with arched door handles, pulls. The freestanding library...
Metal, Brass
Mid-Century modular wooden bookcase, Italy, 1960s
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Modular Mid-Century bookcase with wooden structure and gilded brass details. This elegant piece offers versatile storage with four shelves, a central cabinet, four drawers, and two f...
Wood
$467
H 29.93 in W 32.29 in D 14.18 in
Restored Mid-Century Bookcase, by UP Závody, Oak, Glass, Czech, 1950s
By Up Závody
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
This bookcase from the second half of the 20th century originates from Czechoslovakia. It has been completely restored and features sliding glass doors. The material consists of sol...
Glass, Wood, Oak, Lacquer
$3,362Sale Price|20% Off
H 77.17 in W 59.06 in D 11.03 in
Rare Mid-Century Alpine Solid Wood Modular Bookcase - France - circa 1950s
By Charlotte Perriand
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
Unique handcrafted bookcase in solid wood, entirely demountable. The shelves are fitted into the sculpted side supports and secured with traditional wooden wedges — a remarkable exam...
Wood
$6,104Sale Price|20% Off
H 70.87 in W 114.18 in D 19.69 in
Mid-century modern wooden bookcase cabinet modular by Jan De Vries, Italy, 1970s
By Maisa
Located in Nicolosi, IT
A true exemplar of 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern design, this modular bookcase system was created by Jan De Vries for Maisa di Seveso. Its playful yet refined composition consists...
Rattan, Wood
$5,381
H 51.19 in W 71.66 in D 14.57 in
Large Mid-Century Italian Wooden Hanging Bookcase, Italy, 1950s
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Argelato, BO
Large Mid-Century Italian wooden hanging bookcase, designed in the 1950s for the study of an important residence in central Italy. This is an elegant bookcase, very refined in the s...
Metal
Italian Mid-Century Modern White Wood Modular Bookcase, 1970s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern White wood modular bookcase, 1970s. Modular bookcase composed of 4 rectangles and 5 squares with rounded corners in white painted solid wood. Can be assem...
Wood
Bookcase by C.M. Varos for La Casa Moderna, Italy, 1950s
Located in Milan, IT
Wall shelving system by C.M. Varos for La Casa Moderna. Wood and brass wall uprights, adjustable brackets and wood shelves. Literature available upon request.
Brass
$6,800
H 81.6 in W 47.2 in D 20.8 in
Mid-Century Modern Writing Desk with Bookcase by Fratelli Rizzi, Italy, 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Vigonza, Padua
This exceptional writing desk with integrated bookcase is a fine example of Italian mid-century modern design, crafted by the renowned Fratelli Rizzi workshop in Cantù during the 195...
Maple
Bookcase by Edmondo Palutari for Dassi Anni 60s
By Edmondo Palutari, Dassi
Located in Milano, IT
Bookcase also usable from the center, with storage elements and open shelves with adjustable position, hinged openings and exposed drawers, Teak veneer wood, with brass insert. Resta...
Brass
Sold
H 81.11 in W 66.54 in D 16.54 in
Bookcase Dassi Edmondo Palutari Veneered Solid Wood Lissone, Italy, 1960
By Edmondo Palutari, Dassi
Located in Milano, IT
Bookcase with container elements and shelves with adjustable position. Veneered and solid wood.
Rosewood
Sculptural Wall Unit in Teak by Dassi, Italy, 1950s
By Dassi
Located in Rome, IT
Wall unit in teak by Dassi, Italy, 1950s. This sculptural bookcase with a modern mid-century design in a typical Italian style also similar to that of Osvaldo Borsani and Ico Pari...
Teak
Sold
H 78.75 in W 131.11 in D 15.75 in
Modular Bookcases Vittorio Dassi Midcentury Italian Design Brown Wood
By Dassi
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Modular bookcases Vittorio Dassi midcentury Italian design brown wood rosewood. we include a riser in the sale, so you could extend it further by 80 cm to 413 cm, remodeling all t...
Rosewood
Edmondo Palutari Bookcase for Vittorio Dassi, Italy, 1950
By Edmondo Palutari, Dassi
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Nice and sophisticated shelving unit / bookcase designed by Edmondo Palutari and manufactured by Vittorio Dassi, Italy, 1950. This very nice free stan...
Rosewood
Sold
H 114.18 in W 118.12 in D 17.72 in
Sculptural Italian 1950s Bookcase and Sideboard by Vittorio Dassi
By Dassi
Located in London, GB
A symmetrical wall-mounted bookcase with build in and storage cabinet designed by Vittorio Dassi, in maple and rosewood wood, with brass and glass details. The top consists of shel...