He died tragically young, and his career as a designer lasted little more than 10 years. But through the 1960s, Joe Colombo proved himself one of the field’s most provocative and original thinkers, and he produced a remarkably large array of innovative chairs, table lamps and other lighting and furniture as well as product designs. Even today, the creations of Joe Colombo have the power to surprise.
Cesare “Joe” Colombo was born in Milan, the son of an electrical-components manufacturer. He was a creative child — he loved to build huge structures from Meccano pieces — and in college he studied painting and sculpture before switching to architecture.
In the early 1950s, Colombo made and exhibited paintings and sculptures as part of an art movement that responded to the new Nuclear Age, and futuristic thinking would inform his entire career. He took up design not long after his father fell ill in 1958, and he and his brother, Gianni, were called upon to run the family company.
Colombo expanded the business to include the making of plastics — a primary material in almost all his later designs. One of his first, made in collaboration with his brother, was the Acrilica table lamp (1962), composed of a wave-shaped piece of clear acrylic resin that diffused light cast by a bulb concealed in the lamp’s metal base. A year later, Colombo produced his best-known furniture design, the Elda armchair (1963): a modernist wingback chair with a womb-like plastic frame upholstered in thick leather pads.
Portability and adaptability were keynotes of many Colombo designs, made for a more mobile society in which people would take their living environments with them. One of his most striking pieces is the Tube chair (1969). It comprises four foam-padded plastic cylinders that fit inside one another. The components, which are held together by metal clips, can be configured in a variety of seating shapes (his Additional Living System seating is similarly versatile).
Vintage Tube chairs generally sell for about $9,000 in good condition; Elda chairs for about $7,000. A small Colombo design such as the plastic Boby trolley — an office organizer on wheels, designed in 1970 — is priced in the range of $700.
As Colombo intended, his designs are best suited to a modern decor. If your tastes run to sleek, glossy Space Age looks, the work of Joe Colombo offers you a myriad of choices.
Find vintage Joe Colombo lamps, seating and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Tube Chair Modular Armchair by Joe Colombo for Cappellini
By Cappellini, Joe Colombo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Modular and flexible, essential and customizable: the Tube Chair – an iconic presence in the permanent collections of the Triennale in Milan, and the MoMA and Metropolitan Museum of ...
Leather, Fabric, Foam
Set of 6 Joe Colombo "Smoke" Glasses for Riedel, 1964 (With Original Labels)
By Joe Colombo
Located in Vienna, AT
This exceptional set of six "Smoke" glasses was designed in 1964 by the visionary Italian architect Joe Colombo and produced by the prestigious Austrian manufacturer Riedel. A master...
Glass
Joe Colombo Black Metal Table Lamp 'The Globe' by Oluce
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table lamp "The Globe" designed by Victor Vaisilev in 1964. Table lamp giving direct and diffused light in trasparent blown glass. Metal base and structure. Manufactured by Oluce, It...
Metal
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size L with 6 Drawers in White for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
Elda Chair by Joe Colombo for Comfort - 1960's Italy
By Joe Colombo
Located in Lisboa, PT
Iconic Elda Chair by Joe Colombo for Comfort - Collectible Design Masterpiece The Elda Chair, designed by visionary Italian designer Joe Colombo for Comfort in the 1960s, is an unpa...
Leather, Fiberglass
Desk lamp "Shu" or "Elmo" by Joe Colombo
By Joe Colombo
Located in Vlimmeren, BE
This very rare table or desk lamp was designed by Joe Colombo in 1971 and manufactured by Forma & Funzione in Italy. This lamp is known as “Shu”, “Elmo” or “Yo Yo”, due to the possib...
Metal
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size L with 6 Drawers in Verdigris for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
5-in-1 Drinking Glass Set by Joe Colombo, Mouth-Blown Crystal, Italy
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
5-in-1 Drinking Glass set by Joe Colombo, 1970 Italian industrial designer Joe Colombo pursued a career in painting and sculpture before he transiti...
Crystal
Joe Colombo for Kartell Armchair Mod. 4801 Numbered No. 29, Italy 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Kartell
Located in Naples, IT
Fantastic and large white curved beech wood armchair, Mod. 4801 Designer Joe Colombo and produced by Kartell in Italy , an icon of Italian Modernism. A limited number of wooden 4801 ...
Leather, Wood
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size M with 4 Drawers in Honey for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size M with 6 Drawers in White for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley with 2 Drawers in Cumin for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
Set of Two Joe Colombo Mini Coupe Table Lamps by Oluce
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Set of Two Table Lamps model Mini Coupe designed by Joe Colombo. Table lamp giving direct light, lacquered metal base, chromium-plated stem, adjustable reflector in lacquered alumini...
Metal
Joe Colombo Floor Lamp 'Colombo 626' by Oluce, Lacquered Steel, Italy
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Floor lamp 'Colombo 626' designed by Joe Colombo in 1970. Floor lamp with dimmer giving direct and indirect light, lacquered steel base, chromium-plated stem, height adjustable refle...
Aluminum, Steel
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size L with 5 Drawers in Verdigris for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
Set of Six Joe Colombo 'Sferico' Glass Tableware by Karakter
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Glass tableware designed by Joe Colombo in 1968. Joe Colombo believed in democratic and functional design. In his lifetime he designed a wide ran...
Glass
Pair of Spider ceiling lamps
By Joe Colombo
Located in Forest, BE
Pair of Spider ceiling lamps designed by Joe Colombo, a key figure of Italian design in the 1960s known for his futuristic and innovative approach.
Metal, Enamel, Chrome
Joe Colombo 'Triedro' Metal Pendant Lamp in White for Stilnovo
By Stilnovo, Joe Colombo
Located in Glendale, CA
Joe Colombo 'Triedro' Metal Pendant Lamp in White for Stilnovo Founded in 1946 in Milan, Stilnovo was one of the most innovative lighting companies in Italy during the Mid-century e...
Metal
Joe Colombo Mini Coupé Table Lamp by Oluce, Mid-Century Modern
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table Lamp model Mini Coupe designed by Joe Colombo. Table lamp giving direct light, lacquered metal base, chromium-plated stem, adjustable reflector in lacquered aluminium. Manufact...
Metal
Topo table lamp, by Joe Colombo for Stilnovo, Italy 1970s (original edition)
By Joe Colombo, Stilnovo
Located in Milano, IT
The Topo table lamp, designed by Joe Colombo for Stilnovo in the 1960s, is an elegant and refined piece that features a unique design, resembling the s...
Metal
Joe Colombo 'Mini Spider' Table Lamp by Oluce, Blue Metal, Mid-Century
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table lamp 'Mini Spider' designed by Joe Colombo. Design Joe Colombo, 2025 Lacquered metal base, chromed vertical stem and illuminating body that reproduces the ancient ‘hammer head...
Metal
Set of 4 Chairs Model "300" by Joe Colombo for Pozzi, 1966
By Joe Colombo, Pozzi
Located in Roma, IT
Eight 300 chairs realized by Joe Colombo for Pozzi, Italy, in 1966. Oak Wood and black leather. Ref: I Colombo. Joe Colombo 1930-1971, Gianni Colombo 1937-1993, Fagone, p. 165; G. ...
Leather, Wood
Universal chair by Joe Colombo for Kartell , 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Kartell
Located in Athens, Attiki
Joe Colombo’s ‘Universale’ chair, Kartell late 1960s. Solid, stackable, and colorful, this red Universale chair reflects a late-1960s enth...
Plastic
'Elda' Chair by Joe Colombo and Mario Brunu Pouf in Black Leather for Comfort
By Joe Colombo, Mario Brunu, Comfort, Italy
Located in Hellouw, NL
A sculptural statement in black leather and fibreglass; this original Joe Colombo Elda chair is here paired with a rare Mario Brunu-designed pouf. Both produced by Comfort, Italy, in...
Leather, Fiberglass
Joe Colombo 'Triedro' Floor Lamp in Chrome and White for Stilnovo
By Joe Colombo, Stilnovo
Located in Glendale, CA
Joe Colombo 'Triedro' floor lamp in chrome and white for Stilnovo. Founded in 1946 in Milan, Stilnovo was one of the most innovative lighting companies in Italy during the Mid-centu...
Metal, Chrome
Joe Colombo Swivel "Elda" Italian Lounge Chair
By Comfort, Italy, Joe Colombo
Located in Vienna, AT
Lounge chair designed by Joe Colombo (1930-1971) in 1963 model "Elda"for Comfort. Made of fiberglass structure reupholstered with creme bouclé fabric which make it very unique. It ha...
Bouclé, Fiberglass
Black plastic & metal 70s Boby serving container by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast
By Joe Colombo, Bieffeplast
Located in Varese, Lombardia
Low version of the Boby container designed by Joe Colombo in the 1960s. This is a black plastic container unit with 3 wheels and versatile storage compartments. Ideal for use as a be...
Metal
Elda Chair and Ottoman by Joe Colombo for Comfort, Italy 1970s
By Comfort, Italy, Joe Colombo
Located in Hellouw, NL
The Elda chair, designed in 1963 by the visionary Italian designer Joe Colombo, remains one of the most recognisable lounge chairs of the 20th century. Sculptural, enveloping and fut...
Leather, Plastic
KD24 Lamp by Joe Colombo
By Joe Colombo, Kartell
Located in Vlimmeren, BE
The KD24 lamp was designed by Joe Colombo for Kartell in 1968. Its flexible design allows for a vast number of configurations between the light and rotatable lampshade. This piece ...
Metal
Vintage Joe Colombo Elda Chair, Comfort Fratelli Longhi, Black Leather
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Original Elda Chair, designed by Joe Colombo and manufactured by Comfort Fratelli Longhi. The Elda Chair’s futuristic design reflects Colombo’s interest in space exploration and mode...
Leather, Fiberglass
$1,800Sale Price / item|20% Off
Coupe Floor Lamp '3321' by Joe Colombo for Oluce
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Coupe floor lamp (3321) designed by Joe Colombo for Oluce. The Coupe series of lamps is considered as a variation of the spider lamps. This lamp has a...
Metal, Aluminum, Chrome
Boby Art Trolley Cart by Joe Colombo for B-Line, Plastic, Italy, 1970
By B-Line, Joe Colombo
Located in Philadelphia, PA
'Boby' Art / Trolley Cart by Joe Colombo for B-Line, Designed in 1970, Italy "great color / six drawers" "Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale”...
Plastic
Joe Colombo Vademecum Table Lamp Kartell, 1969s
By Joe Colombo, Kartell
Located in Skokie, IL
Joe Colombo Vademecum table lamp Kartell Italy, 1969 Additional information: Materials:plastic, chrome-plated steel Dimensions: 7" W × 3" D × 10" H Condition: Very good. Tested and...
Steel
Joe Colombo work trolley Boby 1970s
By Joe Colombo, Bieffeplast
Located in bari, IT
An elegant and at the same time practical and useful work trolley, model Boby, this one designed by Joe Colombo and produced by Bieffeplast. Designed for ...
Plastic
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size L with 5 Drawers in White for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
Mid-Century Modern Italian Space Age Spider Arc Wall Lamp Joe Colombo Oluce
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Hamburg, DE
A design classic by oluce based on a design by joe colombo from the 1960s. This is an earlier version with the original bayonet socket and in the rare color brown. another colombo d...
Metal
Vintage Boby Trolley by Joe Colombo
By Joe Colombo
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Italian Post modern plastic storage Boby trolley by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast. designed in 1968. Iconic design, Logo and signature present. features several storage compartments a...
Plastic
Space Age Vintage Black Plastic Up to Three Dining Chair Joe Colombo 1967 Italy
By Kartell, Joe Colombo
Located in Vienna, AT
Space Age vintage three plastic dining chairs or chairs by Joe Colombo 1965 - 67 and executed for Kartell 1970s Italy. Stamped underneath, Kartell Binasco ( Milano ) 860 & 861 made in Italy Des. Prof Joe Colombo 1970 The chairs are in good condition with signs of age and use like scratches at the glossy surface. The iconic dining chairs...
Plastic
Italian Desk Lamp
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in New York, NY
Adjustable Italian desk lamp. Swivel and tilt cylindrical hood shade allows for positioning and direction of light. Cream enamel and bright chrome original finish, working and wired...
Chrome, Metal
Set of Six Joe Colombo 'Chair 300' Wood and Kvadrat Fabric by Karakter
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Chair designed by Joe Colombo in 1965. Designed by the forward-thinking Italian designer Joe Colombo, Chair 300 is a beautiful example of his functional design sensibility. Upholst...
Fabric, Wood
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size M with 5 Drawers in Red for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
Red Boby Trolley, Joe Colombo, Bieffeplast
By Joe Colombo
Located in Milano, Lombardia
he red Boby trolley, conceived by renowned designer Joe Colombo and produced by Bieffeplast, represents an icon of Italian design in the 1970s. This versatile and functional storage ...
Plastic
Joe Colombo for Comfort 'Elda' Lounge Chair in Red Leather and Fiberglass
By Comfort, Italy, Joe Colombo
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Joe Colombo for Comfort, lounge chair ‘Elda’, fiberglass, leather, Italy, design 1963 The ‘Elda’ chair is one of the most well-known designs of Italian designer Joe Colombo. This lo...
Leather, Fiberglass
Complete Set of Thirty-Six Joe Colombo 'Sferico' Glass Tableware by Karakter
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Glass tableware designed by Joe Colombo in 1968. Joe Colombo believed in democratic and functional design. In his lifetime he designed a wide range of different drinking glasses....
Glass
Joe Colombo 'Topo' Articulating Floor Lamp for Stilnovo in Green
By Stilnovo, Joe Colombo
Located in Glendale, CA
Joe Colombo 'Topo' Articulating Floor Lamp for Stilnovo in Green. Founded in 1946 in Milan, Stilnovo was one of the most innovative lighting companies in Italy during the Midcentury...
Steel
6 Glasses Cognac Smoke Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Milano, IT
6 Glasses Cognac Smoke Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio
Glass
Space Age White Plastic Vintage Storage Trolley Container Joe Colombo 1970 Italy
By Joe Colombo, Bieffeplast
Located in Vienna, AT
Space Age vintage storage trolley container boy from plastic in white color by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast 1970s Italy. Iconic white vintage ...
Plastic
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size L with 6 Drawers in Honey for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
Mid-Century Colombo 626 Floor Lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce 1970s
By Joe Colombo
Located in Hamburg, DE
A design classic from oluce according to a design by joe colombo from the 1970s. Here is an early version in black. the name of the luminaire makes direct reference to her unique de...
Metal
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size M with 3 Drawers in White for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
Joe Colombo Elda swivel chair in original condition.
By Joe Colombo
Located in Greensboro, NC
Iconic swiveling "Elda Chair" by Italian designer Joe Colombo. This chair was designed in 1963, and put into production in 1965. Our chair is an early production in original condit...
Leather, Fiberglass
Joe Colombo Black Lacquer Bar Cabinet, Italy, 1970s
By Joe Colombo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This cylindrical dry bar is a bold example of futuristic Italian design from the 1970s by visionary Joe Colombo. Crafted in high-gloss black lacquer with polished chrome accents, it ...
Chrome
Set of Six Joe Colombo 'Sferico' Glass Tableware by Karakter
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Glass tableware designed by Joe Colombo in 1968. Joe Colombo believed in democratic and functional design. In his lifetime he designed a wide range of different drinking glasses. S...
Glass
Vintage 1960s vintage swivel armchair model Elda designed by Joe Colombo for Comfort
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in None, IT
Swivel armchair with fiberglass frame and white leather upholstery, model "Elda" designed by Joe Colombo for Comfort, 1960s. CONDITION: In good condition, shows signs of wear due to...
Leather
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley with 2 Drawers in White for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...
Plastic
6 Bicchieri Smoke Joe Colombo per Arnolfo di Cambio altezza 14 cm.
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Milano, IT
6 Bicchieri Smoke Joe Colombo per Arnolfo di Cambio
Glass
Joe Colombo Black Boby Trolley Cart on Wheels for Bieffeplast, 1960s
By Bieffeplast, Joe Colombo
Located in Miami, FL
Black Boby Trolley storage system on four wheels with three swinging drawers designed by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast, Italy 1960s.
Plastic
Elda Lounge Chair by Joe Colombo for Comfort, Italy 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in bruxelles, BE
Swivel armchair in beige canvas and black shell by Joe Colombo. Elda model. Seat height 40 cm. Wear due to time and age of armchair. FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR RECEIVE THE BEST PRICE
Fiberglass, Canvas
$5,689Sale Price / item|20% Off
Coupe Floor Lamp '3320/R' by Joe Colombo for Oluce
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Coupe floor lamp (3320/R) designed by Joe Colombo for Oluce. The Coupe series of lamps is considered as a variation of the spider lamps. The simplisti...
Metal, Chrome
Joe Colombo 'Minitopo' Table Lamp in Green and Chrome for Stilnovo
By Joe Colombo, Stilnovo
Located in Glendale, CA
Joe Colombo 'Minitopo' table lamp in green and chrome for Stilnovo Founded in 1946 in Milan, Stilnovo was one of the most innovative lighting companies in Italy during the Midcentur...
Metal, Chrome