Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Furniture designer Guglielmo Ulrich was born in Milan to a family with Danish origins. After completing his studies at the Brera Academy, the Scuola Speciale di Architettura and the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1927, Ulrich’s status quickly rose in high-society circles, as he’d gained a reputation for creating elegant interiors for a range of commercial and private clients. Architecture and furniture design in Milan was evolving during the era owing to industrialization, and Ulrich’s modernist work was seen as fresh and forward-looking.
In 1930, Ulrich established the furniture company ARCA — which was short for Arredamento Casa — with colleagues Attilio Scaglia and Renato Wild. Together they created a platform for Ulrich’s designs, which were quite different from the typical furnishings found in Europe at the time.
Ulrich favored simple lines — tapered table and chair legs, lean silhouettes — and the graceful contours of his console tables and dining chairs are representative of an endeavor to streamline neoclassical forms. He created luxurious but practical furniture and home accessories that featured an emphasis on craftsmanship as well as an integration of exotic materials such as ebonized wood, opaline glass and green marble. Ulrich’s designs were very much in line with what we now know as the Art Deco style, which was officially introduced to the world in 1925 at Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. He collaborated with legendary architect and designer Gio Ponti on designs for a hotel property in the late 1930s and co-edited Ponti’s revered Domus magazine with Milanese architect Melchiorre Bega.
By the 1950s, Ulrich was firmly established as one of the most influential Milanese designers, having a hand in designing homes, commercial properties and more. In 1961, he won the Fiera di Trieste award for his lightweight Trieste chair, a seat that shared common ground with Ponti’s iconic Superleggera chair and was produced by Saffa.
Find vintage Guglielmo Ulrich seating, tables,and cabinets on 1stDibs.
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Leather, Ash
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Chrome
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Leather
Early 2000s Italian Modern Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Leather
1940s Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Steel
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Leather
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Steel
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Leather
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Leather
1990s European Mid-Century Modern Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Leather
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Textile, Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Guglielmo Ulrich Benches
Velvet, Walnut
