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.
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
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
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
6 Bicchieri Smoke Joe Colombo per Arnolfo di Cambio altezza 12 cm.
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Milano, IT
6 Bicchieri Smoke Joe Colombo per Arnolfo di Cambio
Glass
Italian modern smoke glass by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1960s
By Arnolfo di Cambio, Joe Colombo
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern smoke glass by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1960s Smoke glass all made of glass. The cylindrical bowl is made of transparent glass, while the side stem and round...
Glass
Italian modern smoke glass by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern smoke glass by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1960s Smoke glass all made of glass. The cylindrical bowl is made of transparent glass, while the side stem and round...
Glass
Italian modern smoke glasses by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern smoke glasses by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1960s Dinnerware of four set consisting of three smoke glasses with different heights, all made of glass. The cylin...
Glass
Italian modern smoke glass by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern smoke glass by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1960s Smoke glass all made of glass. The cylindrical bowl is made of transparent glass, while the side stem and round...
Glass
$650 / set
H 4.5 in Dm 3.63 in
Set 12 Blown Bubble Glass Mid-Century Modern Drinking Glasses Glassware, Italy
Located in Miami, FL
Set of 12 Mid-Century Modern heavy blown bubble glass drinking glasses, glassware, stemware made in Italy. In excellent condition. A-976-335
Blown Glass
Bubble Dressing Set in Blown Glass by Gordon Guillaumier
By Gordon Guillaumier
Located in Milan, IT
Bubble, designed by Gordon Guillaumier, is a transparent blown glass set of four pieces for dressing: the set consists of a salt Shaker, a pepper shaker, an oil dispenser...
Blown Glass, Cork
$198 / set
H 7.09 in Dm 3.15 in
Lilì and Lulù Oil and Vinegar Set in Mouth Blown Glass by Matteo Cibic
By Matteo Cibic
Located in Milan, IT
Lilì and Lulù make up a set of oil and vinegar dispensers, this couple of characters is made in mouth blown glass with a grooved finishing. Lilì and ...
Blown Glass
$1,920 / set
H 5.91 in W 2.76 in
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
$169 / set
H 2.76 in Dm 3.55 in
Tipì and Tidò Salt and Pepper Shakers Set in Mouth Blown Glass by Matteo Cibic
By Matteo Cibic
Located in Milan, IT
Tipì and Tidò are two small creatures that make up a salt and pepper set, this product is made in mouth blown glass with a grooved finishing. Tipì and Tidò set is part of Table Joy, a collection designed by Matteo Cibic whose items are a family of bizarre creatures in glass, inspired by some otherworldly menagerie. Thanks to these sophisticated objects, the table becomes an animated stage of zoomorphic and joyful elements. Tipì and Tidò set is perfect if accompanied by Lilì and Lulù, an oil and vinegar dispensers...
Blown Glass
$466
H 12.21 in W 10.44 in D 5.52 in
Sergio Asti Silverplated and Glass Jug "Onde Series", Arnolfo di Cambio 1968
By Sergio Asti, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Firenze, IT
Exclusive Jug designed by Sergio Asti from the “Onde” series Manufactured by Arnolfo di Cambio, 1968 Silver-plated and glass. Cooling conteiner inside. H 31 cm - 26.5 x 1...
Silver Plate
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
$374 / item
H 3.55 in Dm 3.94 in
Plume Set Of Four Wine Glass in Mouth Blown Glass Designed by Aldo Cibic
By Aldo Cibic
Located in Milan, IT
Wine glass in mouth blown glass. Plume is a handcrafted glassware collection designed by Aldo Cibic, in his style characterized by the love for it...
Blown Glass
$1,280 / set
H 4.34 in W 1.89 in
Set of 6 Joe Colombo "Smoke" Glasses small, 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
Smoke Set of 2 Wine Glasses by Joe Colombo
By Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Milan, IT
Displayed on a modern table, either in multiples as an accent or along with the other set in the same Smoke Collection, this set of two wine glasses is sure to make a statement in a refined home. The unique design was created by Joe Colombo in 1963 and is still a fresh and unexpected look that harmoniously combines a linear bowl...
Crystal
Smoke Set of 2 Champagne Glasses by Joe Colombo
By Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Milan, IT
Sophisticated and surprising, this set of two champagne glasses will be an eye-catching addition to a contemporary interior and will captivate the imagination with its unique silhoue...
Crystal
Routine High Carafe in Mouth Blown Glass Designed by Matteo Cibic
By Matteo Cibic
Located in Milan, IT
High carafe in mouth blown glass. The routine collection is a glassware family designed by Matteo Cibic, who define it as “an essential collection for a smart daily life”. All the pi...
Blown Glass
6 Smoke Joe Colombo glasses for Arnolfo di Cambio height 9 cm.
By Arnolfo di Cambio, Joe Colombo
Located in Milano, IT
6 Smoke Joe Colombo Glasses for Arnolfo di Cambio
Glass
Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio Smoke Set of Glasses, 1970s
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Parma, IT
Rare set of six two-color glasses designed by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio 1960s. In hand blown and hand finished crystal and alexandrite crystal foot that changes color accord...
Glass