Ico Parisi Furniture
Domenico “Ico” Parisi was one half of a prolific postwar design duo he comprised with his wife, Luisa. Their furniture designs are known for running the stylistic gamut, with celebrated mid-century modern pieces ranging from elegantly skeletal — like dramatic ebonized dining chairs — to plush and shapely, like the iconic 1951 Egg chair, in a plethora of materials.
The son of an art teacher father, Ico Parisi was exposed to art at an early age. Born in 1916 in the Sicilian capital of Palermo, he and his family moved to Como in 1925. There, the young Parisi would begin to develop his interest in architecture and design. After earning a degree as a building inspector in 1936 and working as a civil engineer, Parisi took on an apprenticeship in the studio of Giuseppe Terragni, the modernist, fascist Italian architect, pioneer of the Rationalist movement and creator of the iconic Casa del Fascio.
While working for Terragni, Parisi crossed paths with such contemporary design talents as Lucio Fontana, Bruno Munari and Pietro Lingeri, though he briefly moved away from design and architecture to explore photography and film. His artistic work would soon be interrupted, however, by the outbreak of World War II, during which he served at the front before returning to Como in 1943. There, he resumed work as a designer and architect, founding two architecture groups: the Alta Quota and the Gruppo Como.
Through his creative circles, Parisi met Luisa Aiani, a former student of the prolific architect and furniture designer Gio Ponti, who was affiliated with the Alta Quota. They married in 1947 and founded the studio La Ruota — a cross between a design firm and an intellectual salon — in Como shortly thereafter. In 1950, Parisi finally completed his architectural schooling, studying under the nationalist architect Alberto Sartoris at the Athenaeum Architecture School in Lausanne, Switzerland. He and Aiani began several decades of sophisticated output, designing curved sofas upholstered in yellow velvet and armchairs with slender mahogany frames for enduring Italian manufacturers such as Cassina and others.
Much like Charles and Ray Eames in America, the Parisis worked as a team and relied on experimentation in style and material for many of their designs. Ico Parisi died in Como in 1996.
Find a collection of vintage Ico Parisi coffee tables, dining chairs and more on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Ico Parisi Furniture
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Ico Parisi Furniture
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Ico Parisi Furniture
Glass, Rosewood
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Metal
1960s Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Glass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Glass, Rosewood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Glass, Wood
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ico Parisi Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Beech
1970s Italian Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Glass, Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Brass
2010s Vietnamese Mid-Century Modern Ico Parisi Furniture
Nickel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ico Parisi Furniture
Metal
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Maple
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Ico Parisi Furniture
Steel, Aluminum
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Ico Parisi Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Ico Parisi Furniture
Wood
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Metal
20th Century Italian Ico Parisi Furniture
Steel, Aluminum
20th Century Italian Ico Parisi Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
1950s Italian Vintage Ico Parisi Furniture
Metal
