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.
Italian Curved Black Wood Backlit Beveled Mirror by Ico Parisi for ISA, 1968
By Ico Parisi, ISA Bergamo
Located in Roma, IT
Spectacular and incredibly rare backlit mirror in curved lacquered black teak with a central beveled mirror designed by Ico Parisi and produced by ISA Bergamo in Italy in 1968. In...
Crystal
Italian Curved Teak Backlit Bevel Mirror by Ico Parisi for ISA, 1968
By ISA Bergamo, Ico Parisi
Located in Roma, IT
Spectacular and incredibly rare backlit beveled mirror in curved teak, designed by Ico Parisi and produced by ISA Bergamo in Italy in 1968. Fully original and in amazing condition, ...
Crystal
$3,341Sale Price / set|35% Off
H 59.06 in W 15.75 in D 3.94 in
Pair of Walnut in the style of Ico Parisi Curved Wall Mirrors, 1950
By Ico Parisi
Located in Rome, IT
Pair of big wall mirror in the style of Ico Parisi, circa 1950 walnut mirror bronze Measures: 40x 150 x 10 cm.
Brass
Large Italian Fontana Arte Style Round Beveled Mirror
By Pietro Chiesa, Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte, Cristal Arte
Located in Houston, TX
Large Italian Fontana Arte style round beveled mirror. Stunning large round Italian Fontana Arte inspired round beveled mirror. This beautiful Mid-C...
Mirror
Etched and Beveled Venetian Mirror
Located in Houston, TX
Etched and beveled Venetian mirror. Interesting unusually shaped etched Venetian mirror with a beveled oval center. This unusual Venetian mirror which dates from the 1940's can be d...
Mirror
Mid-century Rectangular Beveled Bronze Venetian Mirror
Located in Houston, TX
Mid-century rectangular beveled bronze Venetian mirror. Unusual vintage Venetian mirror with a bronze border and convex circular bullseye detail...
Mirror
1950 Ico Parisi Three square mirror
By Ico Parisi
Located in New York, NY
Ico Parisi Three square mirror plates mounted on a green velours-covered board, held by a wooden frame. Italy, ca. 1950 Same era as: Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouve, Pierre Pauline...
Mirror, Wood
Italian Fontana Arte Style Curved Glass Mirror
By Fontana Arte, Cristal Arte, Pietro Chiesa, Max Ingrand
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Fontana Arte style curved glass mirror. Stunning rectangular mirror superimposed on a large curved quadrangular beveled green glass...
Glass, Mirror
$7,310Sale Price|20% Off
H 70.08 in W 27.56 in D 1.38 in
Iconic Wall Mirror by ico Parisi for MIM Mod. Paraggi
By Ico Parisi, MIM Roma
Located in Milano, IT
Iconic Wall Mirror by Ico Parisi for MIM, Model "Paraggi" (1958) This exceptional wall mirror, designed by the renowned Italian architect and designer Ico Parisi for MIM, epitomizes...
String, Mirror, Wood
Large Italian Quatrefoil Wood Mirror
Located in Houston, TX
Large Italian quatrefoil wood mirror. Stunning large Italian quatrefoil mirror of solid oak. This beautifully carved well-made oak mirror dates to the...
Oak
Vintage Etched and Beveled Venetian Mirror
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage etched and beveled venetian mirror. This unusually shaped Venetian mirror has a beveled perimeter and beveled central mirrored panel. Perfect mirror for a powder room or dr...
Mirror
Wood Framed Wall Mirror with Beveled Glass
Located in New York, NY
A wood framed wall mirror with beveled mirrored glass, Empire Revival style, circa 20th century, Europe. This mirror is rectangular with a beautiful wood frame and beveled mirrored g...
Mirror, Wood
Italian Modern Walnut Mirror Inspired By Ico Parisi
By Osvaldo Borsani, Vittorio Dassi, Gio Ponti, Paolo Buffa, Ico Parisi
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Modern walnut mirror inspired by Ico Parisi. This handsome Italian modern mirror, full length mirror or floor mirror is beautifully craft...
Brass
Beveled and Etched Venetian Mirror
Located in Houston, TX
Beveled and etched Venetian mirror. This elegant unusually shaped Venetian mirror has a lovely etched design with a beveled central mirror that dates to the 1920s.
Mirror
$2,513
H 17.13 in W 13.59 in D 0.99 in
Small French Antique Mirror In Curved Wood, Marquetry, circa 1865
Located in Paris, FR
Small French antique curved wall mirror in marquetry, fruitwood veneer orned with a light fillet, circa 1865. Metal fixing ring. Frame width: 2 cm / 0,78 in. Antique glass mirror. An...
Mirror, Wood
Italian brass round mirror in style of Ico Parisi, 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Nicolosi, IT
Elegant round wall mirror with a refined brass frame and leather strap, designed in the style of Ico Parisi, one of Italy's most influential mid-century modern designers. This mirror...
Brass
Midcentury Brutalist Hammered Metal Beveled Mirror
Located in Houston, TX
Midcentury Brutalist hammered metal beveled mirror. Unique large midcentury Brutalist hammered metal beveled mirror. This versatile mirror would work well in a variety of interiors. ...
Metal
Italian Curved Teak Backlit Bevel Mirror by Ico Parisi for ISA, 1968
By ISA Bergamo, Ico Parisi
Located in Roma, IT
Spectacular and incredibly rare backlit mirror in curved teak beveled mirror designed by Ico Parisi and produced by ISA Bergamo in Italy in 1968. The outstanding quality of the wo...
Crystal
Italian Curved Teak Backlit Bevel Mirror by Ico Parisi for ISA, 1968
By ISA Bergamo, Ico Parisi
Located in Roma, IT
Spectacular and incredibly rare backlit mirror in curved teak beveled mirror designed by Ico Parisi and produced by ISA Bergamo in Italy in 1968. The outstanding quality of the wo...
Crystal