Italian furniture brand Driade offers modern designs that are joyful, whimsical and slightly mischievous — words that might be used to describe the tree nymph of Greek mythology for which the company is named. Faye Toogood’s chunky, stout Roly Poly armchair and Fabio Novembre’s enigmatic Nemo chair — in which a backrest assumes the form of a human face — are just two examples of Driade’s eclectic furnishings.
Driade was founded in 1968 by brother and sister Enrico and Antonia Astori, and Adelaide Acerbi Astori, Enrico’s wife. Described by the company as a “factory of art,” Driade was focused solely on bringing distinctive and creative seating, case pieces and decorative objects to market in its early years. The brand sought to mass-produce decor and furniture that could also be seen as provocative works of art.
Driade's initial collaborations included Italian designers such as Enzo Mari, Nanda Vigo, Giotto Stoppino and Rodolfo Bonetto, to name a few. In the 1980s, the brand worked with influential and renowned designers from around the globe. In 1984, Driade partnered with French designer Philippe Starck and debuted his iconic Costes armchair during the same year. Projects with architects and furniture designers such as Ron Arad, Toyo Ito, Borek Sipek, Patricia Urquiola and others followed into the 2000s.
Over more than five decades — the company celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2018 — Driade’s fruitful partnerships have culminated in a vast catalog of chairs, sofas, coffee tables and other furnishings for the home and garden that evoke a unique and diverse blend of cultures.
Driade has also garnered international acclaim, winning the Compasso d’Oro award in 1979 and 2001 for Enzo Mari’s Delfira chair and ebony-finished, chipboard-top table, and again in 2008 for Ron Arad’s MT3 rocking armchair.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage and contemporary Driade tables, cabinets, armchairs and other furniture.
"Antonietta" by Borek Sipek for Driade Italian Design 1980 Candleholder
By B. Sipek, Driade
Located in Brescia, IT
Rare candleholder five brass arms with polished nickel finish. Model Antonietta Designed by artist Borek Sipek for Driade Italy, 1980 New...
Metal
$1,324Sale Price|20% Off
H 17.72 in Dm 14.97 in
Large Silver Plated Candlestick Designed by Borek Sipek for Driade
By B. Sipek
Located in London, GB
Silver plated candlestick, decorated with seven candleholders and a removable central area. The conical shaped base is decorated with holes. Hallmark to the base. Circa 1989, Prague. Biography. Boris...
Silver Plate
$2,250
H 16 in W 19 in D 5 in
Ajeto Glass Vase by Borek Sipek for Driade Gold Plated Metal 1989 Czechoslovakia
By B. Sipek, Driade
Located in San Diego, CA
Colorless, transparent cobalt non-lead glasses, metallic gold; blown with hot applications, hand forged and gilded metal, adhered. Tall blown vessel consisting of two equal conical ...
Metal, Gold Leaf
Rare Candleholder Making Vase Too by Borek Sipek
Located in Bois-Colombes, FR
Silver plated candleholder with incorpored vase designed 1980s by Borek Sipek. Price for 1 Possibility of a second one to make a pair
Silver Plate
$4,800
H 27.5 in W 15.75 in D 7 in
Bořek Šípek (Czech Republic 1949-2016) 'Simon' Candleholder for Driade, 1988
Located in New York, NY
Seven-armed candle holder made of silver-plated metal with company stamp “Driade” on the underside. The conical body is surrounded by seven winding arms, each with a spout, in an irr...
Metal, Silver Plate
$2,552 / item
H 27.5 in W 9.7 in D 7 in
Celine I Vase in White Porcelain with Glass Detail by Borek Sipek for Driade
By B. Sipek, Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Four well managed “weddings” between different colors and materials: glass and porcelain, glass white and red. The union is sealed and divorce is not expected. Borek Sipek (1949-2016). Studied interior design at the school for Arts & Crafts in Prague from 1964-1968. He went to Germany to study architecture at the Kunsthochschule in Hamburg. He also studied aesthetics and philosophy. In 1983, he moved to the Netherlands and set up the design office that provided a base for his subsequent explorations of oriental and occidental arts and crafts. His fateful encounter with Driade resulted in furniture and objects. The ideas eventually found their way into the Eidos, Malastrana and Follies Collections. Sipek's systematic revisitations of traditional Craft techniques and materials have won several prestigious awards including, the Croix Chevalier Dans L'ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres from the French Government in 1991. In 1993, he won the Prins Bernard Fons Prize for architecture and arts. Sipek has an international reputation as an imaginative and versatile artist. He was appointed Prague castle architect by Czech president, Vaclav Havel. He worked from 1992-1996 on architectural detailing and other features of Joze...
Glass
Apollo vase design Borek SIPEK for SWAROVSKI. 1996
By B. Sipek, Swarovski
Located in Torino, IT
Apollo vase design Borek SIPEK for SWAROVSKI. PERIOD 1996 DESIGNER Borek SIPEK Borek Šípek (1949-2016) was a renowned Czech architect and designer, known for his unique style that ...
Crystal
Peary II Vase Colorless 60hcm By Driade, Borek Sipek
By Driade
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Sipek glassware collection is a work of art, each glass is different; each one is characterized by a personal decoration and a personal colour;each one has its decoration and colour ...
Blown Glass
$1,800 / item
H 18.51 in W 11.43 in D 11.43 in
Angela Vase Colorless & Various Colors by Driade, Borek Sipek
By Driade
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Sipek glassware collection is a work of art, each glass is different; each one is characterized by a personal decoration and a personal colour;each one has its decoration and colour ...
Blown Glass
Bossuet Vase Colorless & Green by Driade, Borek Sipek
By Driade
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Sipek glassware collection is a work of art, each glass is different; each one is characterized by a personal decoration and a personal colour;each one has its decoration and colour ...
Blown Glass
Bibi II Vase Colorless & Red by Driade, Borek Sipek
By Driade
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Sipek glassware collection is a work of art, each glass is different; each one is characterized by a personal decoration and a personal colour;each one has its decoration and colour ...
Blown Glass
Wells IV Vase Colorless by Driade, Borek Sipek
By Driade
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Sipek glassware collection is a work of art, each glass is different; each one is characterized by a personal decoration and a personal colour;each one has its decoration and colour ...
Blown Glass
Amarillide Vase Colorless & Blue By Driade, Borek Sipek
By Driade
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Sipek glassware collection is a work of art, each glass is different; each one is characterized by a personal decoration and a personal colour;each one has its decoration and colour ...
Blown Glass
Sold
H 18.25 in W 10.5 in D 11 in
Silver Plate Candleholder by Borek Sipek, Model Antonietta for Driade Italy 1980
By B. Sipek, Driade
Located in Kansas City, MO
Antonietta silver candleholder by Borek Sipek for Driade, Italia, 1980. New old stock. Never used. Mint condition with some tarnish to the silver. An excellent example of this design.
Silver Plate
Sold
H 6.3 in Dm 6.1 in L 6.3 in
Clermont Candleholder in Burnished Brass with Glass Funnel by Lluis Clotet
By Lluis Clotet, Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This candleholder combines two different sizes and shapes - a vial and a bell. The Clermont candleholder is perfect for outdoor windy summer evenings.
Brass