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.
Oak Side Table by Franco Albini
By Franco Albini
Located in East Hampton, NY
Franco Albini, side table Model TN6 "Cicognino", Italy, 1952 Measures" Overall height: 31.5" Height to the tabletop: 16".
Wool
Oak Parquetry Round Side Table, Dark Oak
Located in Westwood, NJ
A dark oak parquetry round side table with tapered oak legs. This beautiful round two-tier side table has an arranged radial design on its oak parquetry top and shelf. Shown in dusk...
Wood
$2,169Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 14.97 in Dm 14.18 in
Pair of Bamboo Rattan Round Stools or Side Tables, Franco Albini Style
By Franco Albini
Located in Barcelona, ES
Italian midcentury rattan and bamboo stools, 1950s-1960s These eye-catching stools / footstools can be used as end tables, side tables or nightstands. They were entirely made by hand and have a nice construction and a clean design inspired in Michael Thonet bentwood stools...
Bamboo, Rattan, Cane
Oak Side Tables by Jacques Jarrige "Nazca"
By Jacques Jarrige
Located in New York, NY
This pair of sculptural side tables, hand-carved in oak, reflects Jacques Jarrige’s intuitive and tactile approach to form. Each table features an angular top balanced on three asymm...
Oak
White Oak Side Table
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
This white oak side table is made in the heart of Ohio with locally sourced wood. Each table is a hand-made mitered box from white oak veneer and ...
Oak
$3,085Sale Price|42% Off
H 31.5 in Dm 15.75 in
Franco Albini Cicognino Side Table in Wood by Poggi Pavia, 1970s Italy
By Poggi, Franco Albini
Located in Brescia, Brescia
This exquisite Cicognino side table, designed by Franco Albini and produced by Poggi Pavia in the 1970s, is a timeless piece of Italian design. Crafted from high-quality wood, this t...
Wood, Teak
$1,446 / item
H 31.5 in W 15.75 in D 16.15 in
Franco Albini Cicognino Wood Side Table for Cassina, Italy, new
By Cassina, Franco Albini
Located in Berlin, DE
Prices vary dependent on the material of the table. Available in Canaletto Walnut, Natural Ash, Black Stained Ash or Amaranth stained ash. Side table designed by Franco Albini in 1...
Wood
$1,850 / set
H 15 in W 24 in D 24 in
Franco Albini Style, Italian Mid-Century Modern, Side Tables, Bamboo, Rattan
By Franco Albini
Located in Manhasset, NY
Franco Albini Style, Italian Mid-Century Modern, Side or End Tables, Bamboo, Rattan, Italy, 1960s Pair of organic modern side or end tables in bamboo and rattan likely designed by F...
Bamboo, Rattan
$7,925Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 19.69 in W 19.69 in D 17.72 in
Memphis-Inspired Bohld Side Table Travertine Oak Marble by Malabar
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
In the early 80s, objects and furniture were designed to be functional, not decorative. So the Italian-based designer and architect Ettore Sottsass met a group of designers to change...
Marble, Brass
Edwardian Oak Side Table, C. 1900
Located in High Point, NC
circa 1900 Period Edwardian oak side table from England. The top has a beveled edge, and follows down to a hand carved decorated apron. In the...
Oak
Oak Parquetry Round Side Table, Light Oak
Located in Westwood, NJ
A light oak parquetry round side table with tapered oak legs. This beautiful round two-tier side table has an arranged radial design on its oak parquetry top and shelf. Shown in d...
Wood
Franco Albini Cicognino Wood Side Table by Cassina
By Franco Albini, Cassina
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Side table designed by Franco Albini in 1953. Relaunched in 2008. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Dubbed Cicognino, or “little stork”, this iconic design, is clean-cut and refi...
Wood
Modern Wood Side Table in Oak
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
This modern wood side table in oak is made in the heart of Ohio with locally sourced wood. Each table is a hand-made mitered box from white oak venee...
Hardwood