Massimo Vignelli and Lella Vignelli are legendary names in branding and were prolific creators of home furnishings, products and interiors. The duo’s modernist furniture collaborations, which span 50 years, have also left a profound mark on design and wider visual culture. Furniture created by the couple is often labeled as Massimo Vignelli’s alone, though he fought to have Lella recognized for her work, even throwing away magazines that neglected to give her due credit.
As Massimo wrote of their lifelong collaboration in his book Designed By: Lella Vignelli: “It is not holding a pencil with four hands that makes a partnership; it is sharing the creative act and exercising creative criticism which is reflected in the end result.”
After meeting in Italy, Lella (1934–2016) and Massimo began working together in 1961 and a decade later formed Vignelli Associates in New York. A self-described “information architect,” Massimo was committed to streamlining complex ideas into clear, visually arresting forms. (Witness the graphic identity that he cocreated with Bob Noorda for the New York City Transit Authority as well as his influential 1972 subway map.) The Vignellis’ most recognizable piece, for example, may be the Handkerchief chair, a stackable office chair made of compression-molded plastic that has the look of a cloth floating in air. It was created for Knoll in 1983 after they designed the brand’s logo.
Evidence of the couple’s influence can also be found in their Saratoga line (1964), the first collection of lacquered furniture, which helped herald in the trendy “glossy” look of the decade (and beyond). When the Vignellis created the Poltrona Frau Interview chair in 1988 for an Italian television station, it became widely sought after, “which goes to show you the power of the TV media,” the couple once said. Much like their elemental graphic designs, the Kono (1984) and Pisa tables (1985) — both created for Casigliani — cull the form of the table down to geometric shapes.
Many of the Vignellis’ designs are considered modern masterpieces and are included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and other important institutions.
Find vintage Massimo Vignelli furniture today on 1stDibs.
1964 MoMA Massimo & Lella Vignelli 11 Stackable Color Plates Heller Design
By Massimo Vignelli
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1964 MoMA Massimo & Lella Vignelli 11 Stackable Color Plates Heller Design 9.88 diameter x 1 h Preowned vintage condition See all images.
Plastic
$503 / item
H 3.94 in W 9.85 in D 1.97 in
Contemporary Three Stacked, Oblong Golden Bronze Stack Trays by Henry Wilson
By Henry Wilson
Located in Geneve, CH
Bronze Stack Trays by Henry Wilson Dimensions: W 25 x D 5 x H 10 cm Materials: Bronze The stack trays are sold in a set of three that can be used toget...
Bronze
Moroccan Ceramic Plate, Hand-Painted Moorish Design, Circa 1920s
By Berber Tribes of Morocco
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Early 20th century blue Moroccan Ceramic plate hand made in Fez. Handcrafted and glazed decorative ceramic bowl from Fez, Morocco. Featuring an elaborate hand-painted Moorish pattern...
Ceramic
Olive Wood Sculptural Plate or Dish circa 1950 French Design Bowl
By Alexandre Noll
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
French design - 20th century - In the style of Alexandre Noll Realised circa 1950 Olive wood sculptural plate or dish / vide poche Original g...
Wood
Large Venini Plate 'Coreano', Designed by Tapio Wirkkala in 1966
By Venini, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Large Venini Plate 'Coreano', Designed by Tapio Wirkkala in 1966 A blue and green a fasce a spirale plate from the Coreani series. Designed in 1966 by Tapio Wirkkala for Venini. Pro...
Art Glass
$440Sale Price|20% Off
H 1.5 in W 10.38 in D 10.5 in
Midcentury French Decorative Ceramic Plate with Floral Design
Located in Miami, FL
A handsome midcentury French decorative plate or large vide poche. The apparent very talented ceramist used textures that resemble that of a painting of flowers. The wonderful form and colors on the beige background reflect the artist's painterly attention to detail. A beautiful addition to a collection of Mid-Century Modern French pottery...
Ceramic
Antique Vintage Plate, 11 Inch Diameter, Decorative Ceramic Dish
Located in Coral Gables, FL
Late 19th century glazed terracotta plate from Puglia, Southern Italy, featuring a hand-painted rooster motif at the center, rendered with vivid yellow, red, cobalt blue, and dark br...
Ceramic
Olive Wood Sculptural Plate or Dish circa 1950 French Design
By Alexandre Noll
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
French design - 20th century - In the style of Alexandre Noll Realised circa 1950 Olive wood sculptural plate or dish / vide poche Original p...
Wood
Murano glass plate - Design Paolo Cappello, "Vent de printemps" 8 cm
By Ercole Moretti
Located in Murano, IT
With the breath of spring, the murrines on the plate disperse as if in a game of chase. This masterpiece by designer Paolo Cappello is made using the "millefiori murrine glass" techn...
Murano Glass
Ilve Wood Sculptural Plate or Dish circa 1950 French Design
By Alexandre Noll
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
French design - 20th century - In the style of Alexandre Noll Realised circa 1950 Olive wood sculptural plate or dish / vide poche Original p...
Wood
$2,900 / set
H 11 in W 11 in D 11 in
Set 2 Italian 'Meta' Marble Sphere Ball Table Base Lella, Massimo Vignelli Style
By Martinelli Luce, Massimo and Lella Vignelli
Located in Miami, FL
Two Italian 'Metafora' marble and onyx Sphere Ball Objects attributed to Lella and Massimo Vignelli for Martinelli Luce. The two geometric hand shaped Sphere or Ball are Organic Natu...
Marble
$468Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.57 in W 11.82 in D 2.37 in
Handcrafted Terracotta Shell Plate by Emilia Palomba, Italian Design
By Emilia Palomba
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
nr, 82 - This terracotta plate, with its shape of a shell immediately reminds us of the sea of Italy: precisely that of Sardinia, where it was comp...
Terracotta
Murano glass plate - Design Denis Guidone, "Par tresso" ø 19 cm
By Ercole Moretti
Located in Murano, IT
designer Denis Guidone envisioned this series of dishes, calling them Par Tresso, which means "askew" in Venetian, and in fact they are made by juxtaposing askew fragments of Murano ...
Murano Glass