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.
Additional System - Daybed by Joe Colombo for Tacchini
By Tacchini, Joe Colombo
Located in Alcamo, IT
Additional System Daybed Designed by Joe Colombo The Additional System Daybed is part of a modular system where cushions in six different sizes can be combined to create original co...
Steel
$12,432 / item
Customizable Tacchini Additional System by Joe Colombo
By Tacchini, Joe Colombo
Located in New York, NY
Modules with unusual shapes give life to original seating configurations where aggregation and variability take center stage. Additional System is a project by Joe Colombo from 1967,...
Upholstery
Locus Solus Daybed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Wien, AT
The Locus Solus daybed, designed in 1964 by the influential Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, is a striking example of 1960s avant-garde design. With its tub...
Steel
"Vanessa" daybed by Tobia Scarpa for Simon
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dimensions: 80"w x 37"d x 28"h Designer: Tobia Scarpa Material: Enameled Metal w/ Cushion VNT1778
Metal
$5,275Sale Price|57% Off
H 27.56 in W 35.44 in D 78.75 in
Tacchini Solar Daybed by Faye Toogood in STOCK
By Faye Toogood
Located in New York, NY
Solar Daybed Upholstered in: VITE/01 CAT V Calm and sophisticated manifesto of contemporary style, Solar sits at the heart of Toogood’s Cosmic collection. An upholstered sofa that ...
Fabric
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
$8,500
H 23.04 in W 77.56 in D 33.86 in
Daybed by Johannes Andersen for Østergaard & Thaarsti, Denmark 1950s
By Johannes Andersen
Located in Utrecht, NL
The rise of Danish furniture is deeply rooted in the transformative shift in design philosophy during and post-World War II. Faced with material scarcity, designers pivoted towards a...
Fabric, Wood
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
Daybed 'Cleopatra' by Dick Cordemeijer for Auping, 1950
By Dick Cordemeijer, Auping
Located in Los Angeles, CA
wonderful daybed designed by Dick Cordemeijer in Netherlands, 1954, the black powder coated metal frame is capped by teak wood on either end, the mattress and headrest have been newl...
Metal
"Riga" Daybed by Eleonore Peduzzi Riva for Busnelli
By Eleonore Peduzzi Riva, Busnelli
Located in Milan, IT
"Riga" daybed by Eleonore Peduzzi Riva for Busnelli Sturdy metal frame with adjustable sections supporting a generous leather padded base with cushion. Side movable integrated tray. ...
Metal
Customizable Tacchini Solar Daybed by Faye Toogood
By Faye Toogood
Located in New York, NY
Calm and sophisticated manifesto of contemporary style, Solar sits at the heart of Toogood’s Cosmic collection. An upholstered sofa that at first glance appears as a stack of cushions. With its unmistakable blend of ingenuity and style, Faye Toogood invites relaxation upon these quilted piles. Solar merges sculptural forms and softness, offering a fresh interpretation of Tacchini’s iconic upholstery. The fabric intentionally crinkles, giving the seating a generous push. Solar boasts a relaxed aesthetic embodying the casual elegance of Faye Toogood’s studio. Its soft tactility sets it apart among Tacchini’s range of bold and captivating furniture. Solar sofa...
Upholstery
Joe Colombo 'Supercomfort' Armchair for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Supercomfort' Armchair for B-Line. Designed in 1964. New, current production. The Supercomfort armchair designed by Joe Colombo is the result of a meticulous ergonomi...
Leather, Oak
$12,446Sale Price / set|25% Off
H 29.53 in W 35.44 in D 35.44 in
Tacchini Additional System Lounge Chair & Ottoman by Joe Colombo in STOCK
By Tacchini, Joe Colombo
Located in New York, NY
Additional System Ottoman + Lounge Chair Cat Z Zurah Col 03 Modules with unusual shapes give life to original seating configurations where aggregation and variability take center st...
Fabric
Daybed by Horst Brüning for Kill International
By Horst Bruning
Located in Dallas, TX
Model 6915 Daybed by Horst Brüning for Kill International. Original dark grey leather with removable pillow.
Leather