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.
Joe Colombo Wall Lamp 'Coupé' Black, Oluce, Mid-Century Modern, Italy
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Wall lamp 'Coupé' designed by Joe Colombo in 1967. Adjustable rotating metal wall lamp giving direct and reflected light. Manufactured by Oluce, Italy. The Coupé series, design...
Metal, Aluminum
Joe Colombo Coupé Table Lamp by Oluce, Black Metal & Aluminum, Italy
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table lamp 'Coupé' designed by Joe Colombo in 1967. Table lamp giving direct light, lacquered metal base, chromium-plated stem, adjustable reflector in lacquered aluminium. Manufactu...
Metal, Aluminum
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
Joe Colombo Domo Brass Table Lamp by Karakter, Mid-Century Design
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table lamp designed by Joe Colombo in 1965. The Domo lamp was originally designed by Italian designer Joe Colombo in 1965. Back then he designed three lamps based on the same cor...
Brass
KD29 Table Lamp by Joe Colombo for Kartell, Italy, 1967
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv District
Designed in 1967 by Joe Colombo for Kartell, the KD29 table lamp is a quintessential icon of Italian Space Age design. The lamp features a glowing hemispherical acrylic shade suspend...
Acrylic, Wood
Joe Colombo 'Multichair' in Orange 'Sprinkles Kvadrat' for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Multichair' in orange 'Sprinkles Kvadrat' for B-Line Multichair is a convertible system consisting of two individual elements that can easily turn into a conversation/r...
Fabric
Pair of Joe Colombo 'Fresnel' Outdoor Wall Lamps in Grey for Oluce
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of Joe Colombo 'Fresnel' outdoor wall lamps in grey for Oluce. Executed in lacquered aluminum and glass, this is one of the most refined Minimalist Italian designs of the midce...
Aluminum
Joe Colombo 'Minitopo' Table Lamp in Chrome for Stilnovo
By Stilnovo, Joe Colombo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Joe Colombo 'Minitopo' table lamp in chrome for Stilnovo Founded in 1946 in Milan, Stilnovo was one of the most innovative lighting companies in Italy during the Midcentury era, pro...
Metal, Chrome
Model 4801 Armchair by Joe Colombo for Kartell, 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Kartell
Located in bruxelles, BE
Orange wooden armchair by Joe Colombo. The armchair is numbered. Dimensions: Seat height 34cm Wear due to time and age of the armchair. FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR RECEIVE THE BEST ...
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
Joe Colombo Rare Model 1138 Sconce for Oluce, Italy 1963
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Milan, IT
Extremely Rare Single Model "1138" sconce wall lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce. Nickel-plated brass and pressed glass. Adjustable shutter for directional lighting. All original Referen...
Brass, Nickel
Chrome Plated & White Metal Alogena Floor Lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce, 1970s
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Varese, Lombardia
This ALOGENA floor lamp was dasigned by Joe Colombo in the 1970 for Oluce. The chrome plated stem hold an adjustable reflector: this body light can be moved long its thin rod and can...
Metal, Aluminum, Chrome
Joe Colombo 'Triedro' Metal Wall Lamp in White for Stilnovo
By Stilnovo, Joe Colombo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Joe Colombo 'Triedro' Metal Wall 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 era,...
Metal, Chrome
Mid Century Modern "Continental" red Bookcase by Joe Colombo, 1960s
By Joe Colombo
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid Century Modern "Continental" red Bookcase by Joe Colombo, ,1960s
Wood
Joe Colombo Coupé Table Lamp by Oluce, White Lacquered Metal, Italy
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table lamp 'Coupé' designed by Joe Colombo in 1967. Table lamp giving direct light, lacquered metal base, chromium-plated stem, adjustable reflector in lacquered aluminium. Manufactu...
Metal, Aluminum
Rare Bell Armchair by Joe Colombo for Benini, Italy
By Joe Colombo
Located in Brussels, BE
Rare Bell Armchair by Joe Colombo for Benini, Italy Designed in 1963 by Italian designer Joe Colombo, the Bell Chair perfectly reflects his visionary and experimental approach to de...
Metal
Stilnovo Joe Colombo Desk or Task Lamp
By Joe Colombo
Located in Hamden, CT
Iconic Joe Colombo for Stilnovo desk/task lamp. Includes both clamp and table base. 60 watts E-26 Edison medium base incandescent bulb recommended or higher if. Comes with both clam...
Aluminum, Enamel, Steel
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
$3,309 / item
Joe Colombo 'Chair 300' 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. Uphol...
Wood
Spider clamp lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce, 1967
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Athens, Attiki
clamp lamp White Spider Model Designer Joe Colombo Italian Manufacture Oluce design 70's excellent state of conservation Slight signs of ordinary wear and tear of the time
Metal
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size M 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
Italian Space Age Additional System armchairs by Joe Colombo for Sormani, 1970s
By Sormani, Joe Colombo
Located in MIlano, IT
Pair of armchairs model Additional System, with aluminum base and six cushions each, with rounded edges and of different sizes, placed side by side and connected to each other by hoo...
Aluminum
Boby white trolley, Joe Colombo, Bieffeplast
By Joe Colombo
Located in Milano, Lombardia
he 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 cart...
Plastic
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size L with 6 Drawers in Black 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
Vintage Joe Colombo Italian Alogena for Oluce Adjustable Light Floor Lamp 1972
By Joe Colombo
Located in North Miami, FL
This very high style Italian vintage Alogena Joe Colombo for Oluce adjustable floor lamp has different heights that you can adjust only for...
Aluminum, Chrome, Steel
Joe Colombo 'Triedro' Metal Pendant Lamp in White for Stilnovo
By Stilnovo, Joe Colombo
Located in Los Angeles, 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
Spider Pendant by Joe Colombo for Oluce
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Los Angeles, CA
“Spider” pendant by Joe Colombo for Oluce. Designed and manufactured in Italy, 1965. Enameled metal, chrome. Rewired for US standards. Bulb(s) no...
Nickel
Joe Colombo Chairs Sedia Universale 4867 by Kartell Vintage Made in Italy
By Joe Colombo, Kartell
Located in Vancouver, BC
A Colombo classic! It's safe to say these are making a comeback in modern interiors today and its sensibility can match well with a wide range of materialities. The design is also it...
Plastic
$941 / item
Fresnel Wall Lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Fresnel Wall Lamp designed by Joe Colombo for Oluce. Simple and timeless, this lamp produces both direct and diffused light. The fixture is made of c...
Aluminum
Joe Colombo Domo Steel Floor Lamp by Karakter, Mid-Century Modern
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Floor lamp designed by Joe Colombo in 1965. The Domo lamp was originally designed by Italian designer Joe Colombo in 1965. Back then he designed three lamps based on the same cor...
Steel
Joe Colombo Midcentury Walnut Model 300 Dining Chair for Pozzi, 1966, Set of 4
By Pozzi, Joe Colombo
Located in Vicenza, IT
Set of four dining chairs model “300,” designed by Joe Colombo for the Italian manufacturer Pozzi 1966. Walnut, padding covered in velvet. Measures: Height 78 cm, width 48.5 cm, de...
Velvet, Walnut
$12,400 / item
Joe Colombo Swivel "Elda" Leather Lounge Chair
By Joe Colombo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a Joe Colombo Elda chair, an iconic piece of mid-century modern design. It was first introduced in 1963 and remains a celebrated example of innovative furniture design.
Leather, Plastic
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size S with 2 Drawers in Tornado Grey 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 Wall Lamp 'The Globe' Transparent Blown Glass by Oluce
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Wall lamp 'The Globe' designed by Joe Colombo in 1964. Wall lamp giving direct and diffused light in transparent blown glass. Manufactured by Oluce, Italy. The Globe is a lamp which...
Nickel
Joe Colombo 'Topo' Articulating Floor Lamp for Stilnovo in Green
By Stilnovo, Joe Colombo
Located in Los Angeles, 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
Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley Size L with 4 Drawers in Black 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
$4,351 / item
Kartell Joe Colombo Chair in Crystal by Joe Colombo
By Joe Colombo, Kartell
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A true symbol of Sixties design, famous also for being the only piece by Kartell made entirely of wood. Contemporary technology has made it possible to create the same product using ...
Plastic
Joe Colombo Domo Brass Table Lamp by Karakter, Mid-Century Modern Design
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table lamp designed by Joe Colombo in 1965. The Domo lamp was originally designed by Italian designer Joe Colombo in 1965. Back then he designed three lamps based on the same core s...
Brass
Joe Colombo 'Elda' Lounge Chair, White Leather and Fibreglass, by Comfort, Italy
By Comfort, Italy, Joe Colombo
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Joe Colombo ‘Elda’ Lounge Chair, Black Leather and White Fibreglass Shell, Produced by Comfort, Italy. 93cm high, 95cm wide, 98cm deep. The Elda Chair was designed by Joe Colombo in...
Leather, Fiberglass
Joe Colombo 'Topo' Articulating Floor Lamp for Stilnovo in Chrome
By Stilnovo, Joe Colombo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Joe Colombo 'Topo' Articulating Floor Lamp for Stilnovo in Chrome. Founded in 1946 in Milan, Stilnovo was one of the most innovative lighting companies in Italy during the Midcentur...
Steel, 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 ran...
Glass
Joe Colombo Riscio Table Lamp, Steel, Mid-Century Modern Design, Denmark
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table Lamp designed by Joe Colombo in 1968. With its sleek yet optimistic clarity of form; a light, triangular shade seemingly floating off a weighty cylindric base, Italian desi...
Steel
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
Minimalist Elegant 'Spider' Floor Lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce, Italy 1965
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Elegant minimalist spider' floor lamp designed in 1965 by Joe Colombo (1930-71) for Oluce Italy. This is a rare early production example with '1967' label attached (produced around...
Chrome, Steel
Joe Colombo Wall Lamp 'The Globe' Transparent Blown Glass by Oluce
By Joe Colombo, Oluce
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Wall lamp 'The Globe' designed by Joe Colombo in 1964. Wall lamp giving direct and diffused light in transparent blown glass. Manufactured by Oluce, Italy. The Globe is a lamp wh...
Nickel
White 4630 Roto Ashtray by Joe Colombo for Kartell
By Joe Colombo, Kartell
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Originally designed in 1970 and produced by Kartell in 1973 two years after designer Joe Colombo's death, the Kartell 4630 Roto/Rotocenere ashtray is Colombo at his finest. White pla...
Plastic
907 Folding Safari Lounge Chair by Joe Colombo, 1970s
By Joe Colombo
Located in New York, NY
907 Folding Safari Lounge Chair by Joe Colombo, 1970s. The chair features a Leather seat and back, and has natural-hued vachetta leather arm straps. One arm is embossed with Colombo ...
Steel
Domo Table Lamp by Joe Colombo, Steel & Brass
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Domo Table Lamp by Joe Colombo The Domo lamp was originally designed by Italian designer Joe Colombo in 1965. Back then he designed three lamps based ...
Steel
Italian Modern Bowl Ashtray Biglia by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1970s
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern Bowl Ashtray Biglia by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1970s Ashtray mod. Biglia in violet-blue alexandrite. The semi-round shaped bowl features thick glass. Prod...
Glass
Joe Colombo 'Topo' Table Lamp in Black with Base for Stilnovo
By Stilnovo, Joe Colombo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Joe Colombo 'Topo' table lamp in black with base for Stilnovo Founded in 1946 in Milan, Stilnovo was one of the most innovative lighting companies in Italy during the Midcentury e...
Aluminum
$3,321 / item
Joe Colombo Wall Lamp 'Coupé' White by Oluce
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Wall lamp 'Coupé' designed by Joe Colombo in 1967. Adjustable rotating metal wall lamp giving direct and reflected light. Manufactured by Oluce, Italy. The Coupé series, designed b...
Metal, Aluminum
Italian mid-century modern leatherette wood chairs 300 by Colombo Pozzi, 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Pozzi
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern leatherette and wood chairs mod. 300 by Joe Colombo for Pozzi, 1960s Set of six chairs model 300 with squared seats and backrests, padded and upholstered i...
Leather, Wood
Set of Two Joe Colombo Mini Coupe Table Lamps by Oluce
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
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
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
Set of Six Joe Colombo 'Chair 300' Wood and Sørensen Leather 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. Uphol...
Leather, Wood
Joe Colombo Wall Lamp 'The Globe' Transparent Blown Glass by Oluce
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Wall lamp 'The Globe' designed by Joe Colombo in 1964. Wall lamp giving direct and diffused light in transparent blown glass. Manufactured by Oluce, Italy. The Globe is a lamp wh...
Nickel
$5,153 / item
Joe Colombo Floor Lamp 'Coupé 3320' Black by Oluce
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Floor lamp 'Coupé 3320' designed by Joe Colombo in 1967. Floor lamp giving direct light, metal lacquered base and structure, revolving and height adjustable chromium-plated arc, lac...
Metal, Aluminum
Italian modern Adjustable wall lamp Coupé 1159 by Joe Colombo for O-Luce, 1970s
By O-Luce, Joe Colombo
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern Adjustable wall lamp Coupé 1159 by Joe Colombo for O-Luce, 1970s Wall lamp mod. Coupé 1159 with adjustable dome lampshade in white lacquered metal. Inside the lampshad...
Metal, Steel
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. Uphols...
Fabric, Wood
$7,112 / item
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
Set of Two 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. Uphol...
Fabric, Wood