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.
Massimo Vignelli Kono Table in Carrara Marble and Copper by Casigliani 1970s
By Massimo Vignelli
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Kono coffee table designed by Massimo Vignelli and manufactured by Casigliani in 1970s. Low table with supports in oxidized copper and white Carrara marble and ground glass on top. ...
Carrara Marble, Copper
$2,645
H 8.27 in W 38.98 in D 38.98 in
Coffee Table " Metafora" by Lella and Massimo Vignelli for Casigliani, 1979
By Lella & Massimo Vignelli for Casigliani
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Italian design - decoration - Vintage Measures : 99x99cm H:21cm Materials : Glass, Marble Colors: Beige, black, brown, transparent, white Casigliani METAFORA coffee table, designed...
Travertine, Marble
$2,003Sale Price|30% Off
H 12.21 in W 35.44 in D 35.44 in
Italian Design Square Coffee Table in Walnut Burl, 1970s
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Here is a beautiful and sophisticated piece of modern furniture: this stunning coffee table embodies the elegance and practicality that is characteristic of 1970s Italian design. Cr...
Walnut, Burl
$2,280
H 20.48 in W 53.15 in D 29.53 in
Mid Century Rectangular Marble Coffee Table, Made in Italy, 1970s
Located in Odense, DK
This beautiful rectangular coffee table, made in Italy during the 1970s, is an elegant example of mid-century design with a bold sculptural presence. The tabletop is crafted from war...
Marble, Iron
Italian Design Square Coffee Table in Steel and Glass, 1970s
By François Monnet
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
This is a beautiful and sophisticated piece of 20th-century furniture. The table features a frame composed of four expertly folded steel plates, then joined together. The distinctive...
Steel
$33,900Sale Price|29% Off
H 28.5 in W 86.5 in D 39.5 in
Documented 'Kono' Dining Table / Desk by Lella & Massimo Vignelli, 1984, Italy
By Massimo and Lella Vignelli
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This exceptionally rare documented 'Kono' table, which works excellent as either a dining table or a desk, by Lella Vignelli and Massimo Vignelli was designed in 1984 and this example created in the mid-to-late 1980s by Casigliani in Pisa, Italy. This rare example of the 'Kono' design features a monumental Black Granite slab for the top, two thick slabs of Imperial Red Granite which connect together to form one of the bases, and the Vignellis signature Patinated Copper cone which forms the other base. The 'Kono' design was normally made as coffee tables so it is quite rare to find examples made scaled up in dining table size. In addition, typical Kono tables were made with glass tops and a single slab granite base. This example however, the Vignellis selected Black Granite instead of the typical glass tops. Also, rather than using a rectangular single-slab base, this example features an L-shaped base constructed with two slabs that connect together along one angled edge. It still employs the cone-shaped patinated copper base typical of Kono tables, however this example is much larger of course than cocktail table versions. The Vignelli Center for Design Studies, which houses the artists’ archive, confirmed this table to be one of two known drawings by the Vignellis (a copy of the Vignelli sketch, which they provided, is included in the photo gallery) though it is unknown if the other table was ever produced, making this table potentially an important one-of-a-kind. The Black Granite top in lower light settings is dark, deep and mysterious. With direct sunlight its luminosity is intense - see the photo gallery for images of the table in direct sunlight from our skylight above. It glows, shines and shimmers with incredible vibrancy, similar to diamonds - to see it in person is quite exquisite and remarkable. While we only had it set up under our skylight for a couple hours, I would describe the experience as recharging - I felt like I had just spent a couple hours meditating, this would be incredible to wake up to every day before leaving to work. The Vignellis described the 'Kono' table as: “This design exploits the relationship between geometrical figures and material finishes." Over the course of their four-decade-long design practice, Lella and Massimo Vignelli collaborated on projects that ranged from product design and brand identity to interior and furniture design. Whether designing New York City’s subway map...
Granite, Copper
$2,839Sale Price / item|10% Off
H 11.62 in Dm 37.01 in
“ Triumph Arch Table” White Carrara Marble and Glass Minimalist Coffee Table
By Josep Vila Capdevila
Located in Terrassa, Catalonia
The **Arch Coffee Table** embodies a minimalist approach to form, combining sculptural simplicity with timeless materials. Three solid Carrara marble bases support a circular tempere...
Marble, Carrara Marble
$5,064
H 9.85 in W 47.25 in D 47.25 in
Metafora coffee table by Massimo and Lella Vignelli for Casigliani Italy, 1970s
By Massimo and Lella Vignelli
Located in amstelveen, NL
Sculptural Metafora travertine coffee table designed by Lella and Massimo Vignelli. in the 1970s. Inspired by the four forms of Euclidean geometry, the cube, the pyramid, the cylinde...
Travertine, Marble
$3,401
H 12.01 in W 35.44 in D 35.44 in
Mid Century Modern Marble Glass Coffee Table Style Mangiarotti Italy 1970s
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid Century Modern vintage coffee table or sofa table style Angelo Mangiarotti from marble and smoked glass Italy 1970s. While the base features three geometric elements from dark gr...
Marble
$4,800
H 10.24 in W 47.25 in D 47.25 in
Marble and Glass Coffee Table in the Style of Massimo Vignelli, 1970's
By Massimo Vignelli
Located in Antwerp, BE
Massimo Vignelli; Post-modern; Italy; Coffee table; Marble; Glass; Italian design; Postmodern Italian coffee table in the style of ...
Marble
1970s Italian Coffee Table by De Nisco
By De Nisco
Located in Antwerp, BE
1970s Italian coffee table by De Nisco in wood covered with black melamine; top surface is an enameled metal plaque with the insertion of me...
Metal
$5,410 / item
H 15.75 in W 39.38 in D 39.38 in
Modern Carrara marble & steel, Ionic square coffee table by InsidherLand
By Joana Santos Barbosa, InsidherLand
Located in Maia, Porto
The remains of Ionic temples with their beautiful surviving columns motivated the creation of the Ionic coffee tables, each one with tripartite columns missing one of its elements. ...
Carrara Marble, Marble, Stainless Steel, Metal
Square Brass and Glass Coffee Table, France 1970s
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Chic and minimalist square coffee table. The bass is brass and the top smoked glass. Also available is the same table but larger and rectangular.
Sold
H 14.18 in W 70.48 in D 35.44 in
Massimo Vignelli Kono Table in Carrara Marble and Copper by Casigliani 1980s
By Massimo Vignelli
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Kono coffee table designed by Massimo Vignelli and manufactured by Casigliani in 1980s. Low table with supports in oxidized copper and white Carrara marble and ground glass on top.
Carrara Marble, Copper