Italian designer Marco Zanuso helped cement his country’s place as a world leader in furniture design that used new materials in revolutionary ways.
Zanuso was part of a generation of furniture designers who encouraged a sharp departure from the traditionalism and classicalism that reigned over the design industry before the war. These designers, who are associated with what we now call mid-century modernism, experimented with new technologies and materials to deliver on the world’s newfound need for streamlined products that represented the future.
After graduating from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1939 with a degree in architecture, Zanuso served in the Navy during World War II. Soon after the war, he opened his own design firm in Milan in 1945. He later became an editor at well-regarded design magazines Domus and Casabella.
Zanuso used this editorial platform to both promote new Italian designs as well as his own pieces, some of which he made using unconventional materials like foam and latex. For instance, his famous Lady armchair from 1951 is a composition of foam rubber and Nastro Cord, a recently invented textile band of rubberized fabric that eliminated the need for metal springs. It was one of several pieces he designed for Italian manufacturer Arflex, along with the 1949 Antropus chair and the 1951 Sleep-o-matic sofa.
Zanuso often collaborated with other like-minded creatives. From 1955 until 1957, he was Olivetti’s architect, designing factories across Brazil, and for nearly two decades, he collaborated with German designer Richard Sapper. The pair’s most famous product is the 4999 children’s chair, manufactured in the 1960s by Kartell in Italy. The stackable chair was the first to be manufactured entirely of injection-molded plastic.
Zanuso and Sapper also partnered on the 1962 Brionvega Doney 14, the first European-made portable transistor TV; its sleek, compact and curvy form deeply influenced the design of television sets that followed, which were far more sculptural in form than the rigid boxes that characterized early models.
From the 1970s onward, Zanuso taught architecture and industrial design at the Polytechnic University of Milan. He still exercised his creative talents, planning the headquarters for computer companies and renovating Italian theaters.
Each of Zanuso’s elegant works were demonstrative of a forward-looking sensibility. His projects saw an integration of novel industrial materials that not only helped emphasize the beauty of good design but also played a role in rendering these well-made products accessible to everyday consumers.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Marco Zanuso furniture, including armchairs, sofas, table lamps and other items.
"Marcuso" Square Chrome Coffee Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, Italy 1970s
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful Mid-Century “Marcuso” square coffee in chrome plated metal completed by a thick square shaped glass. This stylish table designed by Marco Zanuso and produced by Zanotta in ...
Crystal, Chrome
Marco Zanuso, Coffee Table, Wood, Glass, Italy, 1960s
By Marco Zanuso
Located in High Point, NC
A wood and glass coffee table, model Square, designed by Marco Zanuso and produced by Arflex, Italy, c. 1960s. Water marks to one edge of tabletop. Minor scratches on glass; wear c...
Glass, Wood
Coffee Center Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta Chrome and Smoked Glass
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Midcentury table 'Marcuso' by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta steel chrome and large tempered thickness smoked cristal. Excellent condition. Measures cm: H 33, W 103, D 56 About This...
Crystal, Steel
Postmodern Italian Marcuso Coffee Glass Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in Hamburg, DE
Heavy glass coffee table from the Italian manufacturer Zanotta based on a design by Marco Zanuso from the late 1960s. A classic of Italian design. The design impresses with its simp...
Stainless Steel
Zanotta Marcuso Table in Plate Glass Top with Stainless Steel Legs Frame
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta Small Marcuso Table in Plate Glass Top with Stainless Steel Legs Frame by Marco Zanuso 5/8” thick plate glass top, either clear or covered in ...
Glass
Zanotta Large Marcuso Table in Plate Glass Top with Stainless Steel Legs Frame
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta Large Marcuso Table in Plate Glass Top with Stainless Steel Legs Frame by Marco Zanuso 5/8” thick plate glass top, either clear or covered in ...
Glass
$1,595Sale Price|20% Off
Marco Zanuso ‘Springtime’ Coffee Table for Arflex, Italy 1960s
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Oirlo, LI
Discover the timeless elegance of Italian design with this original coffee table designed by Marco Zanuso for Arflex, part of the iconic Springtime collection from the 1960s. This ex...
Walnut
Vintage 1970s coffee table designed by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in Torino, Piemonte
Coffee table with cylindrical chrome-plated metal legs and a smoked glass top, designed by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, 1970s. CONDITION: In good condition, with signs of wear due to a...
Metal
$3,464Sale Price|20% Off
Midcentury coffee table by Marco Zanuso for Techniform, Italy 1960s
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Midcentury coffee table by Marco Zanuso for Techniform. Stunning square coffee or bar table, wood structure, central top and storage compartment. Perfect vintage condition Italy 19...
Wood
Extending table by Marco Zanuso mod. Eton, Italy 1972
By Marco Zanuso, Arflex
Located in Firenze, FI
Extendable table with lacquered wood frame and recessed glass top. Produced by the company Arflex , designed by Marco Zanuso mod. Eton. Bibliography Published in "Repertoire of Itali...
Crystal
Marco Zanuso for Zanotta Marcuso Round Coffee Table Smoked Glass Steel 1970s
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in bari, IT
In the late 1960s, Marco Zanuso conceived the Marcuso while observing automobile baffles, where a bracket was glued directly onto the glass: he imagined applying that technology to f...
Steel
Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, Table, 1970s
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Marco Zanuso, by. Zanotta, edited by. Dining table. Round top in white marble, resting on a five-column base, the columns screwing to the top and ending in a decorative circle of...
Marble
$397Sale Price|50% Off
Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, Italy, 1960s
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Manzano, IT
avolo by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, Italy, 1960s Coffee table "Zanuso," one of the BEST examples of industrial design, consists of two crystal shelves and 18/8 stainless steel legs. T...
Crystal, Steel
Marcuso coffee table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, 1970s
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in Correggio, IT
1970s coffee table model Marcuso by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta. The legs are made of chrome-plated steel and bear the manufacturer's mark. The visually striking, 1.5 cm thick top is ma...
Stainless Steel
Zanotta Marcuso Table in Plate Glass Top & Stainless Steel Legs by Marco Zanuso
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta Marcuso Table in Plate Glass Top & Stainless Steel Legs by Marco Zanuso 5/8” thick plate glass top, either clear or covered in acrylic finish ce...
Cement
$1,134Sale Price|50% Off
Marco Zanuso Coffee Table - 1970s Design - Chrome and Smoked Glass
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Manzano, IT
Gorgeous coffee table attributed to renowned designer Marco Zanuso, an iconic piece that perfectly embodies the rationalist and industrial elegance of Italian design. The table feat...
Chrome
$1,568Sale Price|20% Off
Marcuso Coffee Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, Glass Top, Italy
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in London, England
Designed by Marco Zanuso between 1969 and 1970, Marcuso tables are now design icons, republished by the famous Zanotta brand. Their refined aesthetics are characterized by simple sha...
Stainless Steel
$709Sale Price|50% Off
Tavolino Da Caffè Marco Zanuso Per Zanotta 1970-1980
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Manzano, IT
Tavolino da caffè Marco Zanuso per Zanotta1970-1980 Tavolino con doppio piano in vetro temperato fumè. Gambe in ferro cromate. PERIODO DEL DESIGN 1970-1980 ANNO DI PRODUZIONE 1970...
Metal, Chrome
Marcuso Coffee Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, Italy 1969
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in Beograd, RS
Designed by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, the Marcuso coffee table is one of the most recognizable icons of Italian post-war design. Originally introd...
Steel, Chrome
Modernist Coffee Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, Italy, 1970s
By Marco Zanuso
Located in DE KWAKEL, NL
A refined 1970s coffee table designed by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta. The white melamine top with softly rounded corners rests on four substantial chrome-plated cylindrical supports, gi...
Chrome
Living room table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in Lugo, IT
Living room table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta. The height to the glass. Custom shipping costs, please contact Good condition. Thanks
Steel
$1,595Sale Price|22% Off
Black Lacquer Wood, Steel, and Glass Dining Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Vintage steel table with glass top edged in black lacquered wood Italy 1970. Packaging with bubble wrap and cardboard boxes is included. If the woo...
Crystal, Steel
Marco Zanuso, Table mod. TL58, prod. Poggi, 1974
By Marco Zanuso, Poggi
Located in Rivoli, IT
Walnut wood table model TL 58 designed by Marco Zanuso for Poggi Italy in 1974. Bibl.: Giuliana Gramigna Repertorio del Design Italiano1950-2000 Allemandi 2011 pag. 224 Some marks ...
Wood
Mid-Century Italian Grid Coffee Table, Wood and Glass, 1960s
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Italian Grid Coffee Table, Wood and Glass, 1960s
Glass, Wood
$2,250
H 11.82 in W 35.83 in D 35.83 in
Mid-Century Modern Square Coffee Table, Wood and Glass, Italy, 1960s
Located in Brussels, BE
Square Coffee Table, Wood and Glass, Italy, 1960s
Glass, Wood
$2,760Sale Price|40% Off
H 12 in W 49 in D 24 in
Stainless Steel Frame Coffee Table with Ceramic Inset
Located in Stratford, CT
Coffee table with glazed ceramic top and framed in stainless steel.
Stainless Steel
$5,250
H 15.5 in W 43.625 in D 43.625 in
Vintage Zanotta Quaderna Square Coffee Table by Superstudio, Italy, circa 1970s
By Zanotta, Superstudio
Located in San Diego, CA
Exceptional vintage Quaderna square coffee table designed by Superstudio for Zanotta, Italy, circa 1970s. An icon of the Italian Radical Design movement, the Quaderna series remains ...
Laminate
$2,496
H 29.93 in W 66.93 in D 34.26 in
Italian Dining Rosewood Table with Black Steel Legs and Glass Top, 1950s
Located in Wolfurt, AT
This dining table was designed in Italy in the 1950s. It consists of a rosewood veneer, a frame made of black steel with brass feet and a reddish-brown glass top. The rosewood veneer...
Steel
$1,304
H 15.75 in W 51.19 in D 17.72 in
Italian mid century wood and glass Acca coffee table Takahama Gavina, 1960s
By Kazuhide Takahama, Gavina
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid century modern wood and glass Acca coffee table by Kazuhide Takahama for Gavina, 1960s. Acca model coffee table with a rectangular wooden...
Glass, Wood
$19,700
H 11.75 in W 51.75 in D 30.25 in
Italian Midcentury Ash & Glass Grid Motif Coffee Table Marco Zanuso, Attributed
By Marco Zanuso, Poggi
Located in New York, NY
Elegant, timeless Italian Mid-Century Modern cocktail table made of interlaced ash hard wood in a grid motif with inset glass top attributed to Marco Zanuso for Pogi.
Glass, Ash
$2,042
H 13 in W 38.19 in D 24.02 in
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table, Grid Wood Pattern and Glass, Italy, 1960s
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table, On the top clear Glass board Thick wood support with an aesthetic grid pattern Italy, 1960s
Stained Glass, Wood
$9,116
H 14.18 in W 35.83 in D 35.83 in
Mid Century Coffee Table in elm wood with grid motif by Marco Zanuso, Italy
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a striking example of geometric and chic elegance of Mid Century Modern design, brought to life by the Italian master of design Marco Zanuso. The coffee...
Glass, Elm
Brass Chrome Glass Rectangular Coffee Table
By Maison Jansen
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mid-Century Modern rectangular glass top coffee table. Chrome frame shape base with brass accent rings. glass top.
Brass, Chrome
$1,139Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.18 in W 31.89 in D 31.89 in
MARCUSO model Modernist Design Coffee Table, Italy 1970's
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in Oud-Turnhout, VAN
Vintage Modernist Italian Design "MARCUSO" model Coffee Table in the manner of Marco Zanuso for Zanotta. Made in Italy, 1970's / 80's period. Thick glass top with chrome cylindrical ...
Metal, Chrome
Memphis Side Coffee Table Servomuto Castiglioni Zanotta, Italy 80s
By Achille Castiglioni, Zanotta
Located in Saarbruecken, DE
Mid-century side coffee table "Servomuto" designed by A. Castiglioni for Zanotta, Italy 1974. Signed. Artist customized with new finish.
Metal
$3,800
H 16 in W 55 in D 27 in
Brass Chrome Thick 3/4" Glass Top Mid Century Modern Oval Coffee Center Table
By Maison Jansen
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Brass chrome thick 3/4" glass top Mid-Century Modern oval coffee center table.
Brass, Chrome
$2,849
H 16.34 in W 39.38 in D 39.38 in
Gae Aulenti Glass and Enamelled Black Metal Italian Coffee Table, Zanotta, 1970s
By Gae Aulenti, Zanotta
Located in Roma, IT
Amazing midcentury glass and enamelled black metal coffee table. This fantastic piece was designed in Italy by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta during the 1970s. This splendid table with s...
Crystal, Metal
Customizable Zanotta Bol Table by Zaven
By Zanotta
Located in New York, NY
matt base or metallic/glossy base. many different dimensions and finishes. Table. Hard polyurethane bases matt lacquered in the shades talc, hemp, caramel, algae, amaranth, espresso ...
Lacquer
Marco Zanuso for Poggi Dining Table in Walnut
By Marco Zanuso, Poggi
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Marco Zanuso for Poggi, 'TL58' dining table, walnut, Italy, 1974 This dining table is manufactured by Poggi in the 1974. It features crossed, double legs that give the table an ar...
Walnut
Sold
H 13 in W 39.38 in D 22.45 in
Italian Triangular Chrome and Glass Coffee Table by Marco Zanuso, Italy 70s
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Lucija, SI
Classic mid century italian coffee table from the 70s Designed by Marco Zanuso
Chrome
Bar Table 'Square' by Marco Zanuso Production Arflex 1960s
By Marco Zanuso, Arflex
Located in Milano, IT
Center table with bar compartment closed by a door and open side compartments. Furniture in excellent condition made of wood with exotic wood veneer, has benefited from a complete re...
Wood
Tavolino Bar 'Square' di Marco Zanuso Produzione Arflex Anni '60
By Marco Zanuso, Arflex
Located in Milano, IT
Tavolino da centro con vano bar chiuso tramite sportello e vani a giorno laterali. Arredo in ottime condizioni realizzato in legno con impiallacciatura in legno esotico, ha beneficia...
Wood
Sold
H 28.35 in W 86.23 in D 29.93 in
TL58 Dining Table in Walnut by Marco zanuso for Poggi, Italy 1960s
By Poggi, Marco Zanuso
Located in ABCOUDE, UT
A refined walnut dining table model TL58 by Italian designer Marco Zanuso, produced during the 1960s. The table is executed in richly grained walnut, showing a warm tone and a natur...
Walnut
Tavolino "Antonio" di Marco Zanuso Anni 80-90 Produzione Memphis Milano
By Memphis Milano, Marco Zanuso
Located in Milano, IT
Tavolino da centro con base in metallo e alluminio cromati, è presente il legno massello di faggio naturale e il piano in vetro. Buone condizioni
Aluminum
Marco Zanuso “Marcuso” Coffee Table with Smoked Glass Top, 1970s
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in Dronten, NL
An elegant expression of Italian modernism, this “Marcuso” coffee table by Marco Zanuso is a masterclass in material harmony and minimalist design...
Stainless Steel
Tavolo Marcuso di Marco Zanuso per Zanotta
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in Ghedi, IT
Iconico tavolo Marcuso, disegnato da Marco Zanuso per Zanotta nel 1969, in ottime condizioni vintage. Piano in cristallo trasparente (spessore 15 mm) con angoli smussati, poggia su q...
Glass
Table 'Marcuso' Production Zanotta Anni '80s '90s
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in Milano, IT
Dining table with square-shaped crystal glass top with rounded corners, chrome-plated metal legs.
Crystal, Metal
Sold
H 28.15 in W 94.49 in D 29.93 in
Mid-Century Modern Dining Set by Marco Zanuzo for Poggi, Italy, 1970s
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Dining Set by Marco Zanuzo for Poggi, Italy, 1970s Chairs : 39x43x90 cm Sh 44cm
Leather, Wood
Sold
H 28.75 in W 57.09 in D 57.09 in
'Eta Beta' table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta 70s-80s with glass top
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in Milano, IT
Dining table model 'Eta Beta' with glass top and four pairs of metal legs; furniture designed in 1978 by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta. Good conditions.
Metal
Glass Dining Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, Italy, 1960
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Torino, IT
Glass Dining Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, Italy, 1960 Additional information: Country of Manufacture – Italy Design Period – 1960 Production Period – 1960 Style – Midcentury /...
Glass
Midcentury Italian table mod. TL 58 by Marco Zanuso for Poggi
By Marco Zanuso, Poggi
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Midcentury table model TL 58 designed by Marco Zanuso for Poggi Italy, 1970 Bibl.: Giuliana Gramigna Repertorio del Design Italiano1950-2000 Allemandi 2011 pag. 224
Wood
'Marcuso 2532' Marco Zanuso for Zanotta 1970s round crystal table
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in Milano, IT
Vintage dining table designed by Marco Zanuso and produced by Zanotta from the late 1960s. Round base and three steel legs, round crystal top. The maker's mark is present.
Crystal, Steel
Marcuso table by Marzo Zanuso for Zanotta
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Milano, Lombardia
A modern table produced by Zanotta and designed by Marco Zanuso. Made of glass and steel, this object has just the classic modern design with the rounded corners and preise, rigorous...
Steel