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.
20th Century, Gio Ponti for Dassi Wooden Sideboard 1950s
By Dassi, Gio Ponti
Located in Turin, Turin
An eclectic personality, from his early days he was active in the fields of architecture, painting, graphics and set design. He graduated in architecture from the Milan Polytechnic i...
Brass
$5,606
H 37.41 in W 73.63 in D 16.93 in
20th Century Lacquered and Painted Wood Italian Sideboard, 1950
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Venetian sideboard from the mid-20th century. High quality furniture in carved, lacquered and hand painted wood with eighteenth-century style landscapes. Sideboard with 4 doors, comp...
Wood
$5,250
H 29.75 in W 70 in D 20.25 in
Italian Modern Credenza in the style of Gio Ponti circa 1950s 70" Width
By Gio Ponti
Located in Atlanta, GA
Elegant Italian Credenza in White Lacquered and Natural Wood with Brass Hardware, in the style of Gio Ponti, unsigned, Italy, circa 1950s. It offers a voluminous amount of storage wi...
Brass
$60,000
H 81 in W 78 in D 18 in
Mid Century Gio Ponti Model 2140 Display Cabinet / Wall Unit for Singer & Sons
By Gio Ponti
Located in Las Vegas, NV
A very rare Gio Ponti Display Cabinet, Model 2140, produced by Singer & Sons and executed in beautifully grained Italian walnut. This maste...
Walnut
$12,595
H 34.75 in W 88.63 in D 18.5 in
Danish Arne Vodder for Sibast Mid Century Sideboard Credenza 1950s
By Sibast, Arne Vodder
Located in Baltimore, MD
Exceptional Mid-Century teak, rare, sliding tambour door, credenza designed by Arne Vodder for Sibast Mobler made in Denmark, circa 1960’s. World famous for winning the Gold Medal at the 1958 Milan Triennale design awards. This smartly crafted credenza with uniquely sliding tambour doors is a perfect collaboration of design and function. Beautifully embellished with bands of teak running perpendicular to the main surface. with a fully finished back and interior. The finished back side makes this credenza ideal for placement in an open floor plan, making it a great focal point. Featuring two beautifully grained teak wood, sliding tambour cabinet...
Teak
Sideboard in Wood and Glass by Gio Ponti 1950s
By Gio Ponti
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Gio Ponti large sideboard in wood with two sliding doors in glass, Italian manufacture from the 1950s. The sideboard comes with the Gio Ponti archives certificate. Gio Ponti (Milan...
Glass, Wood
Gio Ponti for Singer & Sons Credenza, Model 2160
By Gio Ponti
Located in San Francisco, CA
Gio Ponti designed credenza for Singer & Sons, Model 2160. Stunning figured walnut case with sculpted doors and legs. Interior comprises four large drawers and an adjustable shelf. T...
Walnut
Italian Cabinet or Bar Attributed to Vittorio Dassi
By Osvaldo Borsani, Dassi, Gio Ponti, Guglielmo Ulrich, Ico Parisi
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
$13,000
H 75.6 in W 124.02 in D 24.41 in
Italian Mid-Century maple Wardrobe with mirrors by Dassi with Gio Ponti, 1950s
By Gio Ponti, Vittorio Dassi
Located in Buccinasco, MI
This exceptional six-door wardrobe, crafted in the 1950s by Vittorio Dassi, stands as a rare and refined testament to Italian mid-century design. Part of a complete bedroom suite — ...
Mirror, Wood, Maple
Vittorio Dassi Mid-Century Modern Italian Sideboard, 1950
By Dassi Mobili Moderni, Vittorio Dassi
Located in Puglia, Puglia
This sideboard was designed by the famous Italian design Vittorio Dassi, produced by the homonymous company: Dassi Lissone Milan, Italy, 1950s, the furniture is in walnut and green g...
Brass
Vittorio Dassi 1950s sideboard glass top
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Vigevano, PV
Wall cupboard with ebonized wooden supports, wooden body and carved glass top. of the highest quality
Glass, Wood
$18,495
H 37.5 in W 69.75 in D 19 in
Gio Ponti for Singer and Sons Model 2160 Mid Century Walnut Cabinet
By Gio Ponti, M. Singer & Sons
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Gio Ponti for Singer and Sons Mid Century Model 2160 walnut cabinet This cabinet measures: 69.75 wide x 19 deep x 37.5 inches high We take our photos in a controlled lighting studi...
Walnut
$8,000
H 35.04 in W 51.78 in D 17.33 in
Italian Mid-Century teakwood Sideboard with bar attributable to V. Dassi, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Buccinasco, MI
Exceptional and highly refined Italian mid-century sideboard from the 1950s, attributable to the design of Vittorio Dassi and crafted in beautifully figured warm teakwood. This piece...
Glass, Wood, Teak
Dassi Design Console in Wood with Glass Handles and Brass Keys
By Dassi
Located in IT
1950s wood console. What makes this console unique is its design, featuring only two twisted legs supporting the piece, which gives it a lighter appearance. The console was designed...
Brass
Fratelli Turri Italian Midcentury Credenza for Dassi
By Fratelli Turri, Dassi
Located in bari, IT
Long sideboard with an important design designed by Fratelli Turri, Italy 1960 produced by Dassi. The sideboard is in rosewood lacquered walnut, rests on 2 walnut bases colored in ma...
Walnut
Fratelli Turri Cabinet Bar for Dassi
By Fratelli Turri, Dassi
Located in bari, IT
Splendid cabinet bar in lacquered walnut, resting on 2 mahogany bases with onyx feet and brass edge. The top is covered in painted glass. Walnut veneered bar...
Marble, Brass
Sold
H 9.45 in W 86.62 in D 13.78 in
Wall Mounted Console by Dassi in Walnut, Italian Design, 1960 circa
By Dassi
Located in Milan, IT
This wall mounted floating console in walnut was manufactured by Dassi in the '60s. Lightness and functionality find synthesis in this ex...
Walnut
Sold
H 39.38 in W 110.24 in D 22.05 in
Vittorio Dassi Wood Green Marble Credenza for Mobili Moderni, Italy, 1950s
By Dassi
Located in IT
Midcentury Italian Vittorio Dassi wood green marble credenza for Mobili Moderni. This sculptural and big sideboard features five doors, hand car...
Marble, Brass
Sold
H 28.75 in W 79.93 in D 20.08 in
Dassi Five-Door Maple Credenza with Glass Console Shelf, circa 1955
By Dassi
Located in London, GB
An attractive five-drawer maple credenza with glass console shelf by Dassi, Produced in Italy in the 1950s, the credenza is supported by two strik...
Glass, Maple
Sold
H 39.38 in W 110.24 in D 22.05 in
Vittorio Dassi Modern Italian Wood and Green Marble Credenza for Mobili Moderni
By Dassi
Located in IT
Five doors walnut Italian modern sculptural sideboard. Hand-carved ebonized wood bases are set on oval shaped green Alps marble brass borde...
Marble, Brass
Sold
H 33.47 in W 80.32 in D 18.12 in
Sideboard with Brass Details by Palutari for Dassi, Italy, 1950s
By Dassi, Edmondo Palutari
Located in London, GB
A sideboard or credenza by Palutari for Dassi, finished in teak with brass details, Italy, 1950s. An elegant design with delicate legs and stretchers which give the piece a lightnes...
Brass