Born in Paris in 1946, Élizabeth Garouste studied interior design at the École Camondo and worked as a theater set designer before meeting Mattia Bonetti in the late 1970s. Bonetti, born in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1952, attended Lugano’s Centro Scolastico per L’Industria Artistica, where he studied textile design and got into photography. As celebrated duo Garouste and Bonetti, the two designers are best known for concocting Surrealist, avant-garde, romantic furniture and lighting that merge whimsy and wonder with luxury and sophistication.
Their first collaboration came in 1981, after Garouste’s husband, interior designer Gérard Garouste, asked them both to produce designs for the Paris restaurant Le Privilège. They devised a collection of Art Brut–inspired furniture called Barbare, which debuted at the Jansen House of Interior Design, earning them the nickname Les Nouveaux Barbares (the New Barbarians).
Garouste and Bonetti achieved international acclaim in 1987 when French couturier Christian Lacroix hired them to design for his maisons de couture in Paris and London. Instead of the staid decor used by other haute couture houses, Garouste and Bonetti’s furnishings were rebellious and daring. As described in Architectural Digest, “rooms and carpets were acrid ochers, edged with black baroque swirls Louis XVI-inspired chairs upholstered in fruit tones. Tree stump stools topped with ivory tufted cushions. White curtains were trimmed with black polka dots the size of pancakes.”
Following their success with Lacroix, Garouste and Bonetti designed interiors for illustrious clients such as German socialite Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis and Bernard Picasso, a French art collector and grandson of Pablo Picasso.
Throughout the late 1980s and ’90s, Garouste and Bonetti designed several modern pieces such as rainbow-colored console tables, the wavy, high-backed Koala sofa, ceramic tableware, table lamps and decorative objects. In 2002, the duo parted ways.
Bonetti continues to create furniture, finding inspiration in everything from ancient Greece to children’s toys to UFOs. His works have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Garouste also continues to design and is inspired by the natural world for her “quirky pieces,” Élisabeth Delacarte, owner of the Paris gallery Avant-Scène, says of her designs: “You feel like you’re in a dream rather than in reality. She very much has her own universe.”
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Élizabeth Garouste furniture on 1stDibs.
Unique Betty coffee table by Elizabeth Garouste
By Élizabeth Garouste
Located in PARIS, FR
Elizabeth Garouste Betty coffee table, 2026 Unique piece made for the gallery Wrought iron gilded with silver leaf and green lacquered wood top H. 43.5 x ø 100 cm H. 31 1/2 x ø 15 3/...
Wrought Iron, Gold Leaf
Boucle d'or coffee table by Elizabeth Garouste
By Élizabeth Garouste
Located in PARIS, FR
Elizabeth Garouste Boucle d'or coffee table, 2023 Unique piece created for the gallery Hand-painted sculpted resin, gold cabochons on the tabletop Signed The model is inspired by ill...
Resin
Unique 54-inch Oval Walnut Coffee Table by Aaron Saxton
By Aaron Saxton, History Never Repeats
Located in South Charleston, WV
Coffee Table 36x54x16" tall. May be reduced down to 15.75" if required. This model is part of the Emergence Collection we are now producing where every table model (be it a coffee ta...
Walnut
Unique 54-inch Oval Walnut Coffee Table by Aaron Saxton
By History Never Repeats, Aaron Saxton
Located in South Charleston, WV
New images and video added 23 Jan 2026. Coffee Table 36x54x16" tall. May be reduced to 15.25" if required, This model is the prototype and was produced for a series we are releasing ...
Walnut
Rare Early Walnut Bench or Coffee Table by Risom
By Jens Risom
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Very nice solid walnut bench or coffee table by Risom.
$4,200Sale Price|23% Off
H 16.25 in W 44.5 in D 25.5 in
French Giltwood and Black Glass-Top Coffee Table by Hirsch
By Maurice Hirsch
Located in Pembroke, MA
A French giltwood Baroque style coffee table, with nicely-carved acanthus decoration and paw feet, giltwood rim, and reverse painted black glass top with gilt border by Maurice Hirch...
Glass, Wood
Unique Mid-Century Coffee Table By Forest Wilson
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Make a striking statement with this unique mid-century coffee table by Forest Wilson, a beautifully crafted piece that embodies the clean lines and artistic innovation of mid-century...
Wood
Attila Coffee or Low Centre Table by Jean-Michel Wilmotte
By Jean-Michel Wilmotte
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Attila table by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Interesting proportions. Tall coffee table or low centre table. Referenced and documented.
Steel
Extraordinary side table by Elizabeth Garouste + Mattia Bonetti, 1992
By Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti
Located in Berlin, DE
Side table, hickory (North American walnut), ash, hazelnut wood, steel Design / Elizabeth Garouste + Mattia Bonetti 1992 ISBA Collection Dimensions / H.58cm ø 59cm +++ Designer Mattia Bonetti was born in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1952 and trained at the Centro Scolastico per l'Industria Artistica in Lugano. He moved to Paris in 1973 and began working as a photographer and textile designer before starting to focus on furniture and interior design in 1989. Since then, he has designed limited editions, unique pieces and a selection of industrial products for private and public environments in France and abroad. His works are characterised by a fantastic and dramatic nature and always begin with a freehand sketch. They are then realised by craftsmen with whom Bonetti has worked for decades. The designer's most notable projects include liturgical furniture for the Metz Saint-Etienne Cathedral in France (2007), furniture for the decorator Jacques Grange for the Mark Hotel...
Steel
Jumu Coffee Table or Low Table
Located in Greenwich, CT
A simple and elegant rectangular jumu wood low table with straight legs.
Wood
Signed Acrylic Coffee or Cocktail Table by Jeffrey Bigelow
By Jeffrey Bigelow
Located in Palm Springs, CA
This newly professionally polished acrylic coffee or cocktail table is signed and dated. "Jeffrey Bigelow Design Group, 1975."
Acrylic
$21,095
H 15.75 in W 55.52 in D 39.77 in
Large signed purple resin glass coffee table Garouste & Bonetti 1990s
By Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti
Located in Paris, IDF
Cool deep purple colour and a fanciful design make this 1990s coffee table a statement piece, especially for those that believe passionate expressions of creativity go hand-in-hand w...
Glass, Resin
Unique 80s Italian Composite Coffee Table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Unique 80s Italian Composite Coffee Table table featuring a sculptural folded resin base topped with clear glass. Its bold, futuristic form and smooth, org...
Glass
Vintage Post Modern Waterfall Glass Coffee Table or Side Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Condition: Original Vintage Condition Materials: Curved Glass, Metal Base This sculptural Post Modern glass table from the 1980s features a striking waterfall design crafted from a...
Metal
Sold
H 16.15 in W 63 in D 35.44 in
Rare Signed Gilded Wrought Iron Coffee Table by Garouste & Bonetti 1995
By Élizabeth Garouste, Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti
Located in Paris, IDF
Rare and unique signed coffee table by Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti designed in 1995 by the iconic duo, and edited by En attendant les Barbares. Made in wrought iron hand beat...
Iron