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-Century Modern Trolley by Ico Parisi for Angelo de Baggis, Italy, 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Trolley by Ico Parisi for Angelo de Baggis, Italy, 1950s
Glass, Wood
$6,720 / item
Ico Parisi trolley model 1101 Stildomus Italy 1959
By Ico Parisi, Stildomus
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Introducing a pair of tea trolleys, Model 1101, designed by the renowned Italian designer Ico Parisi and meticulously crafted by Stildomus in Rome, Italy, in 1959. These exquisite tr...
Metal
$2,872
H 29.02 in W 15.75 in D 33.67 in
Aldo Tura 1950s Mid-Century Bar Cart, Trolley or Stand in Brown Italian Goatskin
By Aldo Tura
Located in Landau an der Isar, Bayern
Midcentury Modern vintage Italian 1950s bar cart, tea trolley or drinks stand by Aldo Tura, Milan. The brown colored and lacquered goatskin leather combined with gilded cast metal ha...
Metal
$1,700
H 13.78 in W 51.97 in D 22.45 in
Coffee Table Model 751 by Ico Parisi for Cassina, Italy, 1960s
By Ico Parisi, Cassina
Located in Milan, IT
Coffee table model 751 by Ico Parisi for Cassina. Intriguing construction details with the wood frame carrying the thick crystal top.
Wood
Ico Parisi Style Mid-Century Modern Italian Dining Table, 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Dining table in dark walnut and top in Italian bronzed glass in the Ico Parisi style of the 50s. The table has a beautiful sculptural shape. The table has been polished with shellac ...
Glass, Walnut
Coffee Table by Ico Parisi Model 751 for Cassina, Italy 1960s
By Ico Parisi, Cassina
Located in Hellouw, NL
This coffee table is named Model 751, a low table by Ico Parisi and produced by Cassina in Italy. The visible Cassina label on the frame supports the manufacturer, and the open arran...
Rosewood, Glass
$1,650
H 19 in W 28 in D 15 in
1950s Mid-Century Italian Modern Ico Parisi Style Sculptural Side Table
By Ico & Luisa Parisi, Ico Parisi
Located in Forney, TX
An original mid-century modern side table, in the manner of legendary Italian modernist architect and designer Ico Parisi (1916-1996) Italy, circa 1950s, having a rectangular inset ...
Glass, Softwood
Ico Parisi Style Mid-Century Coffee Table, Italy, 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful and extraordinary modernist coffee table with a lovely shape and exquisite details, including small conical brass feet. Made of wood with a top made of blackened glass. M...
Glass, Wood
$2,757
H 22.84 in W 22.84 in D 15.75 in
Mid Century Modern Side Table with mirror top, attr. to Ico Parisi, Italy 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find an elegant and highly sculptural Italian side table or magazine rack attributed to Ico Parisi, dating from the 1950s. The design displays the refined or...
Glass, Mirror, Wood
$2,987
H 34.26 in W 22.05 in D 29.53 in
Mod. 65 Italian Serving Bar Cart by Ico & Luisa Parisi for De Baggis, 1950s
By A. De Gaggis, Ico Parisi
Located in Roma, IT
Marvellous serving bar cart designed by the Italian design master Ico Parisi together with his wife Luisa. The cart was produced by De Baggis in the 1950s in Italy and is signed with...
Brass, Metal
$2,683
H 34.26 in W 28.75 in D 22.05 in
1950s Black Lacquer Trolley by Ico Parisi with Removable Serving Trays
By Ico Parisi
Located in London, GB
A 1950s cart trolley in black lacquer by Ico Parisi with the top two trays being removable serving trays with orignal castors.
Wood, Lacquer
Mid-Century Modern Italian Serving Trolley
Located in Weesp, NL
Italian Mid-Century Modern serving trolley Beautiful two-tier chrome-plated serving or bar trolley with smoked glass in great condition. This trolley will only be shipped abroad in ...
Chrome
Ico Parisi Dining Table, Italy, 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Wolfurt, AT
Dining Table, Italy, 1950s Elegant dining table featuring a sculptural black lacquered wooden base. The tabletop is framed with rosewood vernier and fitted with a black-dyed glass in...
Stained Glass, Wood
$1,550
H 28.75 in W 24.41 in D 20.48 in
Vintage Black Ebonized Beech Serving Cart in the Style of Ico Parisi, Italy
By Ico Parisi
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1970s. This serving cart is made in beech and features four casters. It is a vintage item, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it has been recently resto...
Metal
$2,240
H 24.81 in W 28.35 in D 20.48 in
Italian Brass Serving Table, Mid-Century Modern Liquor Trolley, 1950s
Located in Antwerp, BE
Italian brass serving table or liquor trolley.
Brass
$2,757
H 29.53 in W 31.11 in D 17.72 in
Mid Century Modern Bar Cart in black lacquer by Ico Parisi, Italy 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find an Eeegant Italian mid-century bar cart by Ico Parisi, dating from the 1950s. The cart features a beautifully sculptural black-lacquered frame, disting...
Glass, Beech
$5,169
H 29.73 in W 19.69 in D 32.88 in
Serving trolley model 2248 Designed by Josef Frank Sweden, 1940s
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Serving trolley model 2248, designed by Josef Frank, Sweden, 1940s H: 75.5 cm / 2' 5 3/4" W: 50 cm / 1' 7 11/16" D: 83.5 cm / 2' 8 7/8"
Mahogany
Ico Parisi, elegant trolley model 48
By Ico Parisi
Located in Milano, IT
COD-2701 Ico Parisi (1916-1996) Elegant trolley model 48 in turned and shaped wood with cross and two levels in ground glass. Manufacturing A.De Faggis around 1950.
Glass
Ico Parisi Mid-Century Wood and Glass Trolley for De Baggis
By Ico Parisi, Angelo De Baggis
Located in Milano, IT
Beautiful mid-century food trolley made by Ico Parisi in the 1950s for the fine Italian manufacturer Angelo De Baggis. The trolley is made entirely of polished black wood, very bea...
Glass, Wood
1950s Italian Ico Parisi Midcentury Bar Cart
By Ico Parisi
Located in Paris, FR
An Italian bar cart made of mahogany wood by renowned Italian designer Ico Parisi. This 20th century collectible serving case piece from the middle of the 1950s is light weighted and...
Glass, Mahogany
Italian Midcentury Vintage Bar Cart by Ico Parisi
By Ico Parisi
Located in Paris, FR
A 20th century vintage bar cart on roller designed by Ico Parisi for De Baggis circa 1950s in solid mahogany. This beautiful collectible piece is designed with three shelf units with...
Brass
Ico Parisi Serving Cart for Fratelli Rizzi, Italy, 1949
By Ico Parisi
Located in Milan, IT
Ico Parisi serving cart for Fratelli Rizzi, Italy, 1949 Ref: Ico Parisi Catalogue Raisonné p. 350.
Brass
Sold
H 14.38 in W 43.12 in D 22.45 in
Ico Parisi Serving Trolley for Stildomus, Milan, Designed in 1960
By Ico Parisi, Stildomus
Located in Brussels, BE
Dimensions: H 36.5 x 109.5 x 57 cm Ico Parisi serving/bar trolley, designed in 1960. Made by Stildomus, Milan. Blockboard with wood veneer, steel with rubber wheels.
Steel
Sold
H 32.29 in W 36.62 in D 19.3 in
Mahogany Serving Cart number 58 by Ico Parisi for De Baggis, Italy, 1950-1957
By Ico Parisi
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in mahogany, brass and crystal. In excellent original condition. Literature: Roberta Lietti, Ico Parisi Design Catalogo Ragionato 1936-1960, Silvana Editoriale, Cinisello Balsa...
Brass