Donghia Seating
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.
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1980s Modern Vintage Donghia Seating
Birch
20th Century American Chinese Chippendale Donghia Seating
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Donghia Seating
Steel
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Donghia Seating
Wood
1990s Unknown Organic Modern Donghia Seating
Leather, Cane, Rattan
1980s American Art Deco Vintage Donghia Seating
Chrome
20th Century North American Modern Donghia Seating
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Donghia Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Donghia Seating
Leather
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Donghia Seating
Upholstery, Hardwood
Late 20th Century Philippine Donghia Seating
Upholstery, Rattan
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Donghia Seating
Leather, Wood
1980s American Modern Vintage Donghia Seating
Velvet, Walnut
Donghia seating for sale on 1stDibs.
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- Is Donghia still in business?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes, Donghia is still in business as of January 2021. However, the brand did announce it was closing its showrooms in 2020, and Kravet Inc., purchased Donghia following bankruptcy proceedings. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of Donghia furniture from some of the world’s top sellers.