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Joe Colombo Furniture

Italian, 1930-1971

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 furniture, lighting and 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. 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. As you see on 1stDibs, if your tastes run to sleek, glossy Space Age looks, the work of Joe Colombo offers you a myriad of choices.

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Color:  White
Creator: Joe Colombo
Joe Colombo 'Elda' Lounge Chair, White Leather and Fibreglass, by Comfort, Italy
By Comfort, Italy, Joe Colombo
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
The Elda Chair was designed by Joe Colombo in 1965 and named after his wife. He conceived the idea of making a chair frame from fibreglass after visiting a boatyard. At the height of...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joe Colombo Furniture

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Joe Colombo Mid Century Adjustable Metal Spider Floor Lamp in White for Oluce
By Joe Colombo
Located in Milford, NH
A fine Mid-Century Modern adjustable metal spider floor lamp in white and chrome designed by Joe Colombo for Oluce in Italy, circa 1960’s. Colombo studied art at Milan’s Brera Academy and joined the Nuclear Painting...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Joe Colombo Furniture

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Italian Mid-Century White Plastic Chairs 860 by Joe Colombo for Kartell, 1970s
By Kartell, Joe Colombo
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century White plastic chairs 860 by Joe Colombo for Kartell, 1970s Set of 4 chairs model 860, know also as Universale chair, in cream...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joe Colombo Furniture

Materials

Plastic

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Carlo Bartoli for Kartell Mod.4875 Plastic Chair, Italy, 1970s
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Joe Colombo Floor Lamp 'Spider' Marble and Metal by Oluce
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Joe Colombo Model #3319 'Spider' Floor Lamp in Black for Oluce
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Model 4867 chairs by Joe Colombo for Kartell, 1970S, set of 2
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Original Joe Colombo Universale Chair by Beylerian LTD for Kartell, Italy, 1960s
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Previously Available Items
Creme White Plastic Boby 3 Trolley by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast, Italy, 1970s
By Joe Colombo, Bieffeplast
Located in Vienna, AT
Designed in 1969, Joe Colombo’s iconic "Boby 3" portable storage system was produced by Italian manufacturer Bieffeplast and makes savvy use of space with its swivel design. It is ma...
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Plastic

White Plastic Boby 3 Trolley by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast, Italy, 1970s
By Joe Colombo, Bieffeplast
Located in Vienna, AT
This “Boby” trolley or portable storage system was designed by Joe Colombo in 1969. It is still in production (B-line) and has always been very popular. A very handy trolley made of ...
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Joe Columbo for Kartell White Plastic Univerale Chairs '4'
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Joe Colombo Set of Six '300' Dining Chairs in White Leather
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Midcentury Table Lamp by Joe Colombo Model #291 Spider in White for Oluce, 1970
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Original Joe Colombo Elda White Leather Armchair, 1960s
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Joe Colombo Model 4801 White Lacquered Plywood Chair Kartell, 1965
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Located in Chicago, IL
Joe Colombo designed the Model 4801 chair from three curved pieces bent beech plywood. Colombo’s innovative idea was to design a lounge chair that could sim...
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White Adjustable Floor Lamp Model 626 by Joe Colombo for O-Luce, 1970s
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In 1970 Joe Colombo designed Model 626, a floor lamp immediately nicknamed ‘Alogena’ or ‘Colombo’. According to MarCo Romanelli, author of the book ‘Joe Colombo: Lighting Design +...
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Joe Columbo White 4801 Chair, Kartell, Italy 1965
By Joe Colombo
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Joe Colombo KD29 Desk Lamp for Kartell, Italy, 1967
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Joe Colombo furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Joe Colombo furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Joe Colombo furniture, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 214 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 299 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Joe Colombo were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Vico Magistretti, Carlo Nason, and Oluce. Prices for Joe Colombo furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $176 and can go as high as $22,506, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,532.

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