While working under the polymath Gio Ponti — arguably the most important figure in 20th-century Italian modernism — furniture designer Franco Albini nurtured a love for modern forms combined with traditional craft techniques.
Albini is widely known for working with organic materials such as rattan and cane for his chairs and other seating, but he also played a pivotal role in the Italian rationalist movement of the early 20th century, which saw architects and furniture makers applying a strict emphasis on geometry in their work. Rationalists drew on Ancient Roman architecture but rejected ornament, much in the way that Le Corbusier and celebrated Bauhaus figures such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had in their modernist furniture.
Albini received his degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1929, and, in 1931, he founded his practice in Milan, where he tackled workers’ housing and other reconstruction projects. A gifted urban planner, he also developed the Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Rosso and Tesoro di San Lorenzo museums in Genoa. While Albini is revered for his Margherita chair — a Triennale Milano award winner created for Bonacina in 1951 — he also collaborated with manufacturers Poggi and Cassina in the 1940s on seating, tables and more that embodied his artistic vision. Of that mid-century work, the one piece that perhaps best captures this vision is the iconic Luisa chair.
With its cherry red upholstery and sinuous wooden legs that seem to float aboveground, the Luisa is a genuine masterpiece. It is also a testament to Albini’s perfectionism, as it endured several prototypes — including one made by Knoll in the late 1940s — and took approximately 15 years to design. Poggi launched the final version of the armchair in 1955, earning Albini the prestigious Compasso d’Oro from Italy’s Association for Industrial Design. It is produced today by Cassina. Albini named the chair for someone who likely saw the process firsthand: his personal secretary of two decades, Luisa Colombini.
Find vintage Franco Albini furniture on 1stDibs.
Franco Albini Bamboo Basket with Handle, Italy, circa 1950's
By Franco Albini
Located in New York, NY
A charming Franco Albini designed Italian 1950's handmade bamboo basket. The curved basket with a wonderful decorative handle has perfect proportions. Store and display your magaz...
Bamboo
$264Sale Price|20% Off
H 10.6 in W 8.64 in D 8.12 in
Vintage Japanese Woven Tinted Bamboo Ikebana Basket with Handle
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage Japanese bamboo Ikebana basket was made of smoked split bamboo; sculptural, fan-like patterns at the rim were created by masterful use of tightly woven canes, emerging from t...
Bamboo, Rattan
Midcentury Rattan and Bamboo Basket Franco Albini Style, Italy 1960s
By Franco Albini
Located in Rome, IT
Midcentury beautiful round basket in rattan and bamboo in the style of Franco Albini. Made in Italy in the 1960.
Bamboo, Wicker, Cane, Rattan
$260Sale Price|20% Off
H 18 in W 4.75 in D 4 in
Japanese Tall Bamboo Ikebana Basket with Tinted Handle, Suruga Sensuji Style
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage bamboo Ikebana basket features tall cylindrical shape with prominent rounded handle. The basket is woven of thin round bamboo strips that are secured with burned or tinted b...
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Italian 1950s Wicker and Bamboo Basket with Lid
By Bonacina, Tito Agnoli
Located in Milan, IT
Italian 1950s Wicker and Bamboo Basket with Lid.
Bamboo, Wicker
Japanese Bamboo Ikebana Basket with Handle, Showa Period
Located in Fukuoka, JP
A refined Japanese ikebana basket, expertly handwoven from split bamboo with a tall, cylindrical body and elegantly arched handle crafted to resemble natural bamboo stalks. The baske...
Bamboo
Chinese Hexagonal Four-Tier Woven Bamboo Basket with Carved Handle
Located in Yonkers, NY
This Chinese four-tier basket presents a compelling mix of woven craftsmanship, lacquered structure, and small painted accents that add subtle charm. The hexagonal form gives it a cr...
Wood, Bamboo
$1,482
H 17.52 in W 16.54 in D 10.04 in
Italian Midcentury Rattan Bamboo Magazine Rack, Franco Albini Style
By Franco Albini
Located in Barcelona, ES
Mid-Century Modern Rattan Magazine Rack Eye-catching handcrafted bamboo and rattan basket magazine rack in the manner of Franco Albini, Italy, 1960s. This magazine stand features a c...
Wicker, Rattan, Bamboo, Cane
Mid-Century Franco Albini Inspired Bamboo Sewing Basket with Red Lining
By Franco Albini
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sewing basket showcases intricately woven bamboo construction with distinctive ribbed body and sculptural tripod base. The rattan-wrapped handle arches elegantly over the basket, whi...
Fabric, Bamboo, Rattan
Bamboo and Brass Basket Bowl with Handle, Italy, 1970s
Located in Rome, IT
Elegant basket bowl with handle framed by brass , made in Italy in the 1970s.
Metal, Brass
Mid-Century Franco Albini Style Round Bamboo Rolling Planter
By Franco Albini
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large round bamboo basket features layers of bent bamboo creating an organically sculpted bowl form. Horizontal bamboo strips build the curved silhouette through careful bending tech...
Bamboo
$1,125
H 19.5 in W 17 in D 14 in
Vintage Reddish Brown Lacquer Woven Rattan Picnic Basket with Bamboo Handle
Located in Yonkers, NY
A hand-woven rattan Chinese picnic or wedding basket with carved bamboo handle. This vintage Chinese hand-woven rattan and bamboo tiered food carrier captures the essence of traditio...
Metal
$224Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.5 in Dm 8.4 in
Vintage Chinoiserie Split Bamboo Basket Woven Vase with Handles
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Sculptural woven split bamboo, vase shaped basket features elongated form with two thin handles; the rim is finished with the thin decorative band with knots detail, and the narrow n...
Bamboo, Wicker
Sold
H 20.08 in Dm 11.03 in
Franco Albini for Bonacina Umbrella Stand or Basket in Bamboo Curved Italy 1950s
By Franco Albini, Bonacina
Located in Roma, IT
Franco Albini for Bonacina, umbrella stand or basket in hot-curved bamboo, 1950s Italy Measurements: 51 x 28 cm.
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Franco Albini for Bonacina Basket in Rattan Bamboo, Italy, 1950s
By Franco Albini, Bonacina
Located in Rome, IT
Midcentury basket in rattan made by the Italian Franco Albini for Bonacina.
Rattan, Bamboo