Although he was best known as a leading figure of organic architecture in Italy, architect Luigi Pellegrin also created sleek and luxurious mid-century modern furniture that included designs for modular seating and more, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s.
Born in 1925 in Courcelette, Pellegrin attended school in Rome, where he met legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1951. Upon meeting Wright — and later seeing his work in person — Pellegrin became greatly influenced by Wright’s organic approach to architecture. This philosophy, which refers to buildings that exist in harmony with their natural surroundings — had a profound influence on the shape of modern life.
Pellegrin became a member of the A.P.A.O. Association for Organic Architecture, an organization founded by his mentor, Italian architect Bruno Zevi in 1945. Zevi, who studied with Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius at Harvard Graduate School of Design, encountered Wright’s work in America and suggested Pellegrin visit the United States, where the mentee experienced Wright's architecture at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. He later wrote about Wright’s work in a monthly periodical founded by Zevi called L'architettura Cronache e storia.
At the Art Institute of Chicago, Pellegrin was shown drawings made by Louis Sullivan, an architect and mentor to Wright as well as others who came to be associated with the Prairie School. From the 1950s onward, Pellegrin established a reputation for his gigantic urban infrastructures and complex, technologically intricate designs. The influence of Wright can be found in Pellegrin’s designs for private and public buildings in Lombardy and Rome. He patented prefabrication systems, built hundreds of schools (more than 70 of which were in Saudi Arabia) and much more.
During the late 1950s and 1960s, Pellegrin turned his attention toward furniture design, collaborating with award-winning postwar furniture manufacturer MIM Roma, where he was mentored by Ico Parisi, a Palermo-born architect and one-half of a prolific furniture design duo he comprised with his wife, Luisa. The company, founded in 1957, focused on producing pieces created by new, visionary designers such as Pellegrin, Carlo Scarpa, Gio Ponti and others that were innovative, visually artistic and embraced Italian modernism.
Pellegrin designed several seating pieces for MIM Rosa, including sectional sofas, modular living room sets and armchairs featuring sculptural bases and square or rectangular forms. The furniture was made using materials such as metal and fiberglass and often came upholstered in velvet, faux leather, polyester and bouclé wool.
Today, Pellegrin’s furniture is coveted by architects, interior designers and collectors of Italian 20th-century modernist design.
Find a range of vintage Luigi Pellegrin furniture on 1stDibs.
Modular sofa designed by Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma, Italy, 1960s.
By MIM Roma, Luigi Pellegrin
Located in amstelveen, NL
Luigi Pellegrin sofa, MIM Roma, camel cotton velvet, 1960s. A striking example of Italian modernist design, defined by its sculptural low-slung silhouette, generous proportions, and...
Cotton, Velvet
Mid-Century Modern Pair of Armchairs by Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma, Italy
By Luigi Pellegrin
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Pair of Armchairs by Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma, Italy, 1950s
Leather, Plastic
Sold|$1,283 / set
H 32.29 in W 36.23 in D 31.89 in
1970s , Pair of Mid-Century Modern Armchairs , Italy
Located in Praha, CZ
good condition cleaned seat height 43cm
Fabric
$4,430 / set
H 28.75 in W 196.86 in D 37.41 in
Nuvolone modular leather sofa 5 modules 70s Rino Maturi for Mimo Design
By Mimo Padova
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Modular cognaq leather sofa Nuvolone model designed in the 1970s by Rino Maturi for Mimo Design. the sofa is composed of by 5 seats including 1 ottoman and a corner module. the Sofa...
Leather, Wood
$2,334Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 19.69 in W 28.35 in D 30.71 in
Ico Parisi Italian Midcentury Armchairs for Mim
By MIM Roma, Ico Parisi
Located in bari, IT
Set of four armchairs in white fiberglass Kubilia series of Ico Parisi for M.I.M. Rome, Italy. Ico Parisi was born in Palermo in 1916. He gained a diploma in construction and served his apprenticeship in Giuseppe Terragni's studio. In 1937 he carried out, for the magazine Quadrante, a photographic study of the Casa del Fascio that marked the entire research that Parisi conducted in "meditating on the legacies and contradictions of the enormous baggage of ideas and forms constituted by the experience of the masters". His activity, marked by continuous experimentation, is an incessant quest in the fields of architecture, art and design. Between 1948 and 1950 he devoted himself to the study of furniture elements. In the field of design, crucial encounters with Munari and Fontana (1951) and Melotti profoundly marked his experience. In 1948 he founded the studio La ruota with his wife Luisa Aiani, a designer and designer, which ceased its activity in 1995. In 1954 he was awarded the Gold Medal at the X Milan Triennale with the work Padiglione Soggiorno, with Silvio Longhi and Luigi Antonietti. In 1957 he presented at the exhibition Colori e forme della casa d'oggi the work Casa per vacanze, which was the result of a collaboration with Manlio Rho...
Velvet, Fiberglass
$4,085 / set
H 34.65 in W 28.75 in D 31.5 in
Pair of Paolo Buffa Mid-Century Modern Italian Armchairs, 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Beautiful pair of armchairs with curved armrests, made by Paolo Buffa in 1950. The structure in curved and padded wood, the upholstery was redone more than twenty years ago but is in...
Fabric, Beech
$3,268 / set
H 33.47 in W 29.14 in D 29.14 in
Pair of Mid-century Modern Italian Design Armchairs, 1950s
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Pair of armchairs covered in eco-leather and brass feet, 1950s Italian design. The armchairs have original upholstery, as shown in the photos in good condition but with small signs o...
Brass
$2,100 / set
H 34.26 in W 37.41 in D 33.47 in
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Italian Satin Armchairs, 1950s
By Guglielmo Ulrich
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Pair of armchairs in the Ulrich style, structure and legs in solid wood, covering in satin, made in the 1950s Conditions as shown in the photos, it is advisable to redo the upholstery.
Satin, Beech
$19,608Sale Price|20% Off
H 23.63 in W 124.02 in D 98.43 in
Lara modular sofa designed by Pamio, Toso and Massari for Stilwood 1968
By Roberto Pamio & Renato Toso, Noti Massari
Located in Arezzo, Italy
Rare modular sofa model Lara designed by Roberto Pamio, Renato Toso and Noti Massari in 1968 for Stilwood. Polyurethane rubber frame, cotton bouclé fabric, restored, excellent condit...
Cotton, Rubber
Edward Wormley Sectional Sofa for Dunbar, 1960s
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Hamburg, PA
A classic Edward Wormley for Dunbar, 1960's USA. This two-piece sectional sofa has the stately mahogany bracket back design that sets this Edward Wormley sofa apart. This sofa has vi...
Upholstery, Mahogany
$18,089 / set
H 26.38 in W 212.6 in D 37.41 in
Jasper Morrison Super Oblong Modular Sofa Set Design Cappellini Italy
By Jasper Morrison
Located in Krefeld, DE
This rare Super Oblong modular sofa set was designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini in Italy and exemplifies Morrison’s philosophy of understated, intelligent design. Composed of ...
Cotton
1960s "Skyscraper" Design Velvet Sectional Sofa
Located in New York, NY
1960s "Skyscraper" design velvet sectional sofa. There are eight sections to the sofa (including the two ottomans). Original upholstery. 2 Ottomans:...
Velvet
3 Piece Modular Sofa by Vladimir Kagan for Preview, 1988
By Vladimir Kagan, Preview
Located in Chicago, IL
3 Piece Modular sectional sofa by Vladimir Kagan for Preview, 1988. Original white fabric is in good condition. There is a spot on one cushi...
Fabric
$18,831
H 23.23 in W 118.9 in D 98.82 in
Original Lara Sofa by Pamio, Toso and Massari for Stilwood, Italy, 1960s
By Mario Bellini, Roberto Pamio & Renato Toso, Stilwood, Pierre Paulin
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
An original Lara sofa by Roberto Pamio, Renato Toso and Noti Massari for Stilwood, Italy 1950s/1960s. Newly reupholstered in a premium, pure Alpaca wool fabric. Ships worldwide.
Foam
Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma Sofa with Metal Base
By MIM Roma, Luigi Pellegrin
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma, signed sofa, fabric, metal and polyester, Italy, late 1950s This sofa by Luigi Pellegrin is upholstered with a beige fabric and features a polyester tr...
Metal
Sold
H 26.38 in W 79.53 in D 30.71 in
Package deal for Lindsey: Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma Sofa and two chairs
By MIM Roma, Luigi Pellegrin
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Package deal for Lindsey: Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma Sofa and two single armchairs The price includes reupholstery in Pierre Frey fabric Archibald (definitive fabric to be decided)...
Metal
Sold
H 13.39 in W 16.34 in D 16.34 in
Mid-Century 'Il Kubile' Cubic Stool, by Pellegrini for MIM Roma, Italy, 1970s
By Luigi Pellegrin, MIM Roma
Located in Roma, IT
Stunning cube-shaped pouf stool "Il Kubile". This fantastic piece was designed by Luigi Pellegrin for MIM (Mobili Italiani Moderni), Ico Parisi's historic company, in Italy during th...
Resin, Velvet
Luigi Pellegrin for MIM "Il Kubile" Cubic Stool, Italy 1970s
By MIM Roma, Luigi Pellegrin
Located in Naples, IT
Rare cube pouf stool model "Il Kubile designed by Luigi Pellegrin for MIM (Mobili italiani Moderni), Ico Parisi's historic company. Dating from the 1970s, it is made of black plastic...
Fabric, Resin, Polyester
MIM Roma Sectional Sofa in Bouclé Wool by Luigi Pellegrin
By Luigi Pellegrin, MIM Roma
Located in Antwerp, BE
Postmodern modular couch by Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma. A newly upholstered piece in luxury bouclé wool by Pierre Frey. Consisting of fou...
Wool, Fiberglass
Sold
H 27.56 in W 30.71 in D 30.71 in
Brown Velvet Fiberglass Armchair by Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma, 1950s, Italy
By Mobili Italiani Moderni (MIM), MIM Roma, Luigi Pellegrin
Located in Rome, IT
Brown velvet armchair by Luigi Pellegrin for MIM, Roma, 1950s, Italy. Featuring a fiberglass base in good condition, some signs or bumps visible in the pictures, the cushions should...
Velvet, Fiberglass, Polyester
Lounge Set by Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma, Italy, 1950s
By MIM Roma, Luigi Pellegrin
Located in Brussels, BE
Set of two armchair and one sofa by Luigi Pellegrin for MIM Roma, Italy, 1950s Measures: Armchairs W: 77 cm, D 80 cm, H total 68 cm, H seating 37 cm Sofa: W 200 cm, D 80 cm, H to...
Faux Leather