With distinctive style touches like gray flannel upholstery and overstuffed seating, American designer Angelo Donghia (1935–85) was a visionary leader of bold interior design and furniture in the 1970s and ’80s. Although Donghia lived only to age 50, by the time of his death from AIDS-related pneumonia, his name graced numerous furniture and decor companies, in addition to his own interior designs.
After graduating from Parsons School of Design in 1959, Donghia joined the interiors firm of Yale R. Burge, and his star rose quickly from there. By 1963, he had been appointed vice president and in 1966, partner — a move that came with a name change for the firm to Burge-Donghia Interiors. In 1968, he founded the fabrics and wall coverings company & Vice Versa, and in 1978 he founded Donghia Furniture. With this holistic approach, Donghia was able to oversee nearly every element of an interior design project, which, for him, spanned everything from corporate offices (notably PepsiCo’s world headquarters in Purchase, New York) to the Metropolitan Opera Club at Lincoln Center to residential interiors for clients such as Diana Ross and Ralph Lauren.
After he inherited Burge’s firm, he continued to develop its reach as Donghia Associates. He opened a series of showrooms around the country to offer his designs to a wider audience, who loved the company’s marriage of minimal forms with luxe materials. His silver-foil ceilings, mixing of eclectic textile patterns and plush furniture set trends and, through mass marketing, influenced the direction of American interior design.
“I feel that I’ve developed my own style that is as classic and minimal as the ’30s style it reflects,” the designer once told New York magazine. In 2015, the retrospective “Angelo Donghia: Design Superstar” at the New York School of Interior Design chronicled his influence on all facets of modern interiors, from furnishings to wall coverings. It’s an approach that still resonates today. Donghia continued to operate as a company after his death, acquired by the Rubelli Group in 2005. After it filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and closed its showrooms, its name, designs, archives and inventory were acquired by Kravet.
Find authentic Donghia furniture today on 1stDibs.
$4,218 / item
Donghia Corda Luxury Vintage Glass Lamp
By Donghia
Located in Woodbury, NY
Solid, handmade vintage Murano glass floor lamp with brass hardware from Donghia. Meaning "rope" in Italian, the Murano glass makers were able to create the effect of a rope wrapping...
Glass
$12,050 / set
Geneva Club Chair with Ottoman by Donghia
By Angelo Donghia, Donghia
Located in Dallas, TX
Amazingly unique and highly stylized sculptural chair and ottoman set designed by Angelo Donghia for Donghia, just screams for attention! One of Donghia's most coveted and graceful f...
Upholstery, Wood
Pristine Set of 8 Merbau Cane SIDE Dining Chairs by John Hutton for Donghia
By John Hutton, Donghia
Located in Atlanta, GA
An incredibly rare set of eight (8) organic dining chairs from the limited production Merbau collection designed by the esteemed John Hutton (1947-2006) for Donghia, circa 1995. Exam...
Cane
$4,892 / item
Donghia Piroetta Tavolo Vintage Murano Glass Lamp
By Donghia
Located in Woodbury, NY
Vintage Murano glass lamp from Donghia with brass hardware, hollow and handblown. In Italian, Piroetta means "pirouette." To pirouette is to twirl or turn and this describes the glas...
Glass
Superb ALL ARMS Set of 12 Merbau Cane Dining Chairs by John Hutton for Donghia
By John Hutton, Donghia
Located in Atlanta, GA
This magnificent ALL ARM set of dining chairs is Unique on the World market. The set is shipped as professionally photographed and described in the listing narrative: Meticulously pr...
Cane, Maple
Donghia Medusa Murano Vintage Glass Lamp
By Donghia
Located in Woodbury, NY
Vintage striped Murano glass lamp. Like the Medusa from Ovid's myth, this lamp is a ravishing beauty. 7 feet of beige rayon-covered twisted c...
Glass
$1,500 / set
Pair of Vintage Leather Side Chairs by Donghia
By Donghia
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This attractive pair of modern Italian side chairs feature stylish leather upholstered frames and make a stunning addition to any seating area. An extremely comfortable lounge chair ...
Leather
$4,542 / item
Donghia Alto Vintage Murano Glass Lamp
By Donghia
Located in Woodbury, NY
Vintage Murano handblown glass lamp with brass hardware from Donghia. Hand applied ripples on the Venetian glass body of the Alto lamp benefit from restrained gold dust inclusions. 7...
Glass
$4,157 / item
Donghia Wabi/Sabi Vintage Murano Glass Lamp
By Donghia
Located in Woodbury, NY
Vintage Murano glass lamp from Donghia with brass hardware, hollow and handblown. Wabi-sabi is the philosophy that nothing is perfect. It is finding beauty in the imperfect and asymm...
Glass
$4,892 / item
Donghia Piroetta Tavolo Vintage Murano Glass Lamp
By Donghia
Located in Woodbury, NY
Vintage Venetian glass lamp with brass hardware from Donghia, hollow and handblown. In Italian, Piroetta means "pirouette." To pirouette is to twirl or turn and this describes the gl...
Glass
$4,017 / item
Donghia Vita Vintage Murano Glass Lamp
By Donghia
Located in Woodbury, NY
Vintage handblown Venetian glass lamp. Sinuous lines in this hollow, handblown Venetian glass lamp tantalize with a sense of movement. 7 feet of beige rayon-covered twisted cord exit...
Glass
$4,017 / item
Donghia Vita Vintage Murano Glass Lamp
By Donghia
Located in Woodbury, NY
Hollow, handblown vintage Murano glass lamp from Donghia. Sinuous lines in this lamp tantalize with a sense of movement. 7 feet of beige rayon-covered twisted cord exits at base. 2 p...
Glass