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.
Italian Midcentury Sideboard with Mirror, designed by Vittorio Dassi, 1950s
By Dassi
Located in Traversetolo, IT
This piece of furniture, with its unique combination of fine woods, sculptural curves, and distinctive use of brass and etched mirror—a form of craftsmanship celebrated in Italian de...
Brass
Italian Mid-Century Rosewood Sideboard by Dassi, Circa 1950s
By Dassi
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Mid-Century (1950s) rosewood sideboard with herringbone design veneer with 2 side doors flanking a drop down door over 3 drawers with a low backrail and green glass top (DASSI)
Rosewood, Glass
$35,000
H 38 in W 103 in D 20.5 in
Italian Mid-Century Mahogany Sideboard by Vittorio Dassi, 1940s Design
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Queens, NY
Italian mid-century (1940s) mahogany sideboard with 4 maple parquetry doors centering a Pair of ebonized doors and supported on 4 ebonized legs over a pl...
Maple, Wood
$13,200
H 30.5 in W 74.5 in D 20.5 in
Mid-Century Modern Credenza by Vittorio Dassi, Italy, Circa 1950
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A brown, vintage Mid-Century Modern Italian credenza made of hand crafted lacquered palisanderwood with four drawers and a glass top, designed by Vittorio Dassi in good condition. The storage piece is ideal as a traditional sideboard...
Glass, Palisander
$41,839
H 38.98 in W 118.12 in D 20.87 in
Italian Art Deco Inlaid Sideboard Attr. Vittorio Dassi and Anzani, 1950s
By Anzani, Vittorio Dassi
Located in Meda, MB
This exceptional Italian sideboard was crafted in the 1950s and is attributed to Vittorio Dassi, with inlays likely executed by Anzani. The exterior is clad in parchment and features...
Formica, Maple, Parchment Paper
$2,098Sale Price|38% Off
H 28.35 in W 80.12 in D 20.08 in
Mid-Century Italian Sideboard by Vittorio Dassi (circa 1950s)
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in London, GB
Charming sideboard designed by Vittorio Dassi made in Italy in the middle of the 20th century. This wonderful sideboard was rendered in veneer woods. It has five drawers configured b...
Wood
$32,000
H 49.5 in W 81 in D 16.75 in
Italian Mid-Century Walnut & Maple Sideboard by Vittorio Dassi, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Mid-Century (1950s) walnut & maple sideboard with and open bottom shelf below 2 Pair of doors centering a carved relief panel above a blue & gold painted shelf with a...
Glass, Maple, Paint, Walnut
$5,675Sale Price|20% Off
H 35.83 in W 100.01 in D 19.3 in
Midcentury Italian Sideboard by Vittorio Dassi, Birch Root Veneer, Bar cabinet
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Landshut, BY
Italian 1950s one of a kind BAR / SIDEBOARD attributed to Vittorio Dassi birch root veneer - solid birch "feet" - stained glass top - mirrored bar compartment - carved upper orna...
Stained Glass, Birch, Burl
Vittorio Dassi Sculptural Sideboard with Bar, Italy, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Madrid, ES
Elegant Italian sideboard designed by Vittorio Dassi in the 1950s, crafted in rosewood. The piece combines a geometric architectural structure with carefully considered details chara...
Brass
$3,201
H 51.19 in W 72.84 in D 17.72 in
Vittorio Dassi Mid-Century Modern Italian Mahogany Cabinet Bar, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Puglia, Puglia
This bar cabinet was designed by the famous Italian design Vittorio Dassi, Italy, 1950. The cabinet is covered in herringbone mahogany with maple inlays and glass top, the central in...
Marble, Brass
Mid-Century Modern Sideboard by Vittorio Dassi, Italy, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Sideboard by Vittorio Dassi, Italy, 1950s
Wood
Italian Midcentury Sideboard Bar by Vittorio Dassi, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Traversetolo, IT
The Italian credenza or sideboard bar by Vittorio Dassi is a refined piece of furniture, featuring a glass top and maple interiors. The front is made up of eight drawers and two door...
Glass, Maple, Walnut
Italian Wall Unit by Vittorio Dassi for Dassi, 1950s
By Dassi, Vittorio Dassi
Located in bruxelles, BE
Modular Wall unit consisting of 1 box with a hinged door containing a shelf, 1 box with 2 drawers ,1 box with 2 doors containing 2 shelves, 1 box with 2 doors containing 1 shelf and ...
Brass
$13,082
H 38.98 in W 117.33 in D 20.08 in
Italian Teak Sideboard by Vittorio Dassi for Consorzio Mobili Cantù, 1950s
By Consorzio Esposizione Mobili Cantù
Located in Traversetolo, IT
This exceptional sideboard, produced by the Consorzio Esposizioni Mobili Cantù designed by Vittorio Dassi during the 1950s–1960s, is a remarkable example of the innovation and extra...
Glass, Maple, Teak
$6,594
H 55.12 in W 63 in D 18.31 in
Italian Midcentury Sideboard or Cabinet Bar designed by Vittorio Dassi, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Traversetolo, IT
Sideboard or Cabinet Bar designed by Vittorio Dasi in 1950s, great executive quality, wooden upper top, the front is characterised by the presence of two large compatments that open...
Brass
$6,366
H 53.94 in W 64.97 in D 17.33 in
Italian Mid-Century Sideboard Three-Door in Birch Briar Root by Dassi, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi, Dassi Mobili Moderni
Located in Traversetolo, IT
Rare sideboard three-doors designed by Vittorio Dassi in the 1950s. It's a very fine item made using precious materials as well as the three-doors made of birch briar root, finished ...
Brass
$11,369
H 38.19 in W 78.75 in D 19.3 in
Italian Midcentury Sideboard or Chest of Drawers by Vittorio Dassi, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Traversetolo, IT
Important Italian teak sideboard from the 1950s, by Vittorio Dassi, distinguished by its refined construction and a series of carefully considered details that reflect the more matur...
Maple, Teak
Sold
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
Sideboard by Edmondo Palutari for Dassi Mobili Moderni, 1960s
By Dassi, Edmondo Palutari
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wooden sideboard with 5 drawers, 2 lockable doors with a key, containing a shelf, and two sliding doors containing a shelf by Edmondo Palutari for Dassi Mobili Moderni. Wear due to t...
Brass
Sold
H 28.75 in W 53.55 in D 20.48 in
Vittorio Dassi sideboard in rosewood and marble Dassi Italy 1953
By Vittorio Dassi, Dassi
Located in Etten-Leur, NL
Beautiful sideboard designed by Vittorio, Alessandro and Plinio Dassi and produced in Lissone by Dassi, Italy 1953. This wonderful sideboard is both refined and elegant in every way....
Marble
Sold
H 28.35 in W 80.32 in D 20.08 in
Vittorio Dassi vanity sideboard birch wood Mid-Century Italy 1950
By Vittorio Dassi, Dassi
Located in Etten-Leur, NL
Beautiful sideboard designed by Vittorio, Alessandro and Plinio Dassi and produced in Lissone by Dassi, Italy 1950. This wonderful sideboard is executed in birch wood that supports a...
Glass, Birch
Sideboard by Edmondo Palutari for Dassi Mobili Moderni, 1960s
By Dassi, Edmondo Palutari
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wooden sideboard with 3 doors containing a shelf and a sliding door containing 5 drawers and a shelf. One key. Wear due to time and age of the sideboard.
Brass
Sold
H 29.14 in W 76.78 in D 19.69 in
20th Century Italian Rosewood Sideboard By Vittorio Dassi, c.1950
By Dassi
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
A very elegant sideboard designed by Vittorio, Alessandro and Plinio Dassi and produced in Lissone by Dassi, made in Italy in the middle of the 20th century. This wonderful sideboard...
Marble
Sideboard Design Edmondo Palutari Dassi 1960s Veneered Wood
By Dassi, Edmondo Palutari
Located in Milano, IT
Sideboard with sliding and swing doors; teak veneered wood, brass inserts.
Brass
Edmondo Palutari Hanging Sideboard for Dassi 1960s
By Dassi, Edmondo Palutari
Located in Milano, IT
Sideboard with hinged doors, flap, open compartment and exposed drawers. Teak veneered wood, brass inserts.
Brass
Sideboard Edmondo Palutari for Dassi 1960s
By Dassi, Edmondo Palutari
Located in Milano, IT
Sideboard with sliding, hinged doors and exposed drawers. rosewood veneer, brass inserts.
Brass
Edmondo Palutari Dassi Rosewood Sideboard, Italy 1960s
By Dassi, Edmondo Palutari
Located in Wolfurt, AT
Edmondo Palutari Dassi highboard This sideboard has been crafted with Rosewood and brass detailing. The drop-leaf door on the right hand side allows ...
Brass
Sold
H 80.32 in W 113.39 in D 19.69 in
Rosewood Dining Room Set with Finely Carved Panels by Vittorio Dassi
By Dassi
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Vittorio Dassi room in rosewood with dark gold-colored glass shelves behind back shelves carved with breadstick finished in gold and green. The furniture bears...
Marble, Brass
Long Rosewood Sideboard from Dassi, 1950s
By Dassi
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Superb rosewood sideboard by Vittorio Dassi, made in Italy in the 1950s. Rosewood structure with 2 four doors compartments and 1 single central compartment with 4 maple drawers. Furn...
Glass, Rosewood
Vittorio Dassi Sideboard Birch Wood, Italy, 1950
By Dassi, Vittorio Dassi
Located in Etten-Leur, NL
Beautiful sideboard designed by Vittorio, Alessandro and Plinio Dassi and produced in Lissone by Dassi, Italy 1950. This wonderful sideboard is executed in birch wood that supports a...
Glass, Birch
Mid Century Sideboard by Vittorio Dassi
By Dassi
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
Produced in Italy in the 1950’s with five reeded doors and six legs and having a black glass top and brass sabots this is a large and important sideboard by master craftsman Vittorio...
Rosewood
Sideboard by Edmondo Palutari for Dassi Mobili Moderni, 1960s
By Vittorio Dassi, Dassi
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wooden sideboard, composed of 3 doors, a sliding door, 5 drawers, a key. Wear due to time and age of the sideboard.
Brass