Paolo Buffa Seating
Italian, 1903-1970
With a surname that loosely translates to a synonym for “bizarre” in Italian, Milanese designer and architect Paolo Buffa is best known for capturing the best of both old and new in his plush, enveloping lounge chairs and wingback chairs as well as his range of modern tables, each dazzling and provocative but built using classical techniques.
Purposely playful and airy, mid-century Italian interiors encouraged merriment and socializing. Buffa’s work was well suited to this, but unlike the postwar designers who established recognizable trademarks and signatures, his vintage furniture for Cassina and other firms — the sculptural side tables and case pieces of walnut and solid oak, the luxurious sheepskin sofas — differed considerably from one design to the next, making them appealing to a range of interior decorators and socialites with specific taste. The son of a highly sought-after artist, Giovanni Buffa, Paolo graduated in 1927 from Politecnico di Milano. He then spent time working under architects and designers Gio Ponti and Emilio Lancia. Ponti, who himself crafted thousands of furnishings and endlessly creative rooms, was so taken with the young designer that in 1928 he featured his simple and elegant rosewood dressing table in his new magazine, Domus.
After opening a firm with his regular collaborator Antonio Cassi Ramelli, Buffa became one of the leading tastemakers of Italian mid-century modern furnishings, designing for villas and residential buildings across the country. His style was a mix of Art Deco, Rationalism, neoclassicism and a bit of whimsy. He used high-quality materials and regularly worked with local ateliers known for their fine craftsmanship to produce his designs, such as Serafino Arrighi and Marelli & Colico. In 1940, he partnered with the Mario Quarti furniture studio on the royal palace of Albania’s King Zog, with Buffa designing the furniture, and in 1951, Egypt’s King Farouk enlisted him to redecorate his yacht.
While Buffa’s transcendent pieces are now collector’s items, there are a few still in production, such as those he made with Angelo Marelli. His eponymous firm, the Italian furniture producer Eredi Marelli, still manufactures some designs based on Buffa’s archives.
Find a collection of vintage Paolo Buffa furniture today on 1stDibs.
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Creator: Paolo Buffa
Paolo Buffa Armchairs In Walnut And Tibetan Wool, Italy circa 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in San Angelo, TX
What a stunning and sleek pair of chairs by Paolo Buffa, which originated during the 1950s in Italy. These one of a kind chairs have a minimalist look to them with a Walnut frame and...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Wool, Walnut
Pair of Wingback Armchairs by Paolo Buffa for Framar, Italy, 1950s
By Framar, Paolo Buffa
Located in Brescia, Brescia
A rare and elegant pair of wingback armchairs designed by Paolo Buffa and produced by Framar in the 1950s. Executed in beautifully aged cherrywood, the frame showcases Buffa’s sign...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Fabric, Chenille, Wood, Cherry
Set of Four Paolo Buffa Highback Chiavari Dining Chairs
By Paolo Buffa, Chiavari
Located in Berkeley, CA
Origin: Italy
Designer: Paolo Buffa
Manufacturer: Chiavari
Era: 1960s
Materials: Mahogany
Measurements: 18? wide x 17? deep x 52.5? tall
Seat: 19? tall
Condition: In excelle...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Mahogany
Paolo Buffa Italian Mid Century Lounge Chair
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Paolo Buffa Italian mid century lounge chair
Italy, circa 1950’s
This chair is equal parts comfy and stylish
A timeless classic newly reupholstered in vintage Italian wool bouclé
We ...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Wood, Bouclé
Mid-Century Modern Pair of Paolo Buffa Armchairs, 1950s - New Upholstery
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Pair of Paolo Buffa Armchairs, 1950s - New Upholstery
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Velvet, Wood
Pair of Paolo Buffa chairs
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Paris, FR
PAOLO BUFFA Pair of bedroom chairs.
Solid cherry wood, braided hemp rope. Certificate of authenticity Archivio Eredi Marelli.
Dimensions: 85x45x48 cm
Very good general condition. R...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Organic Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Rope, Wood
Pair of Paolo Buffa Italian Mid-Century Walnut Slat Top Ottomans
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Italian Mid-Century walnut ottomans with openwork slat tops, resting on four slightly splayed tapered legs. (PAOLO BUFFA)(PRICED AS Pair)
Missing cushions.
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Wood, Walnut
Armchair by Paolo Buffa, 1950S
By Paolo Buffa
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wood and wicker armchair by Paolo Buffa made in the 50s. Seat height: 32 cm. Wear due to time and age.
For shipping, request us for receive the best price.
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Wicker, Wood
1950s Pair Of Italian Armchairs By Paolo Buffa
By Paolo Buffa
Located in London, London
Pair of armchairs
By Paolo Buffa
Cherry wood frame
Spindle back
Decorative feet with brass caps
Italy 1950s
Certificate of authenticity from the Paolo Buffa archives
Alcuni Mobili di Paolo...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Cherry
$15,109 / set
Paolo Buffa Chiavarine Dining Chairs for Galdino Maspero, 1948, Set of 2
By Galdino Maspero, Paolo Buffa
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Paolo Buffa Chiavarine dining chairs for Galdino Maspero, wood and straw, Italy, 1948, set of two.
Paolo Buffa, celebrated architect and designer of the Italian mid-century movement...
Category
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Straw, Wood
Rocking Chair in Cherry Wood by Paolo Buffa, c.1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in London, GB
Italian rocking chair in cherry wood by Paolo Buffa, circa 1950s.
Dimension: H92 x W57 x D80 cm.
Paolo Buffa’s (1903-1970) love of the neoclassic is incorporated into sumptuous pie...
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Cherry, Wood
Pair of Vintage Mid-Century Modern Italian Paolo Buffa Wingback Lounge Chairs
By Paolo Buffa
Located in North York, ON
Pair of Vintage Mid-Century Modern Italian paolo buffa wingback lounge chairs. Iconic paolo buffa styling, Italy, circa 1960’s. Masterfully restored to its original condition with ne...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Fabric, Wood
$7,960 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Paolo Buffa, Pair of ladder back armchairs
By Paolo Buffa
Located in London, GB
Italian, c.1950s
Stained wood and natural rush
H118 x W70 x D62 cm
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Rush, Wood
Pair of Paolo Buffa Mid-Century Modern Italian Bouclè Armchairs by Framar, 1950s
By Framar, Paolo Buffa
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Pair of Wingback armchairs designed by Paolo Buffa and produced by Framar in the 1950s. The armchairs have been restored and upholstered with sugar paper-colored bouclé fabric. Paolo...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Bouclé, Walnut
$5,814 Sale Price / set
30% Off
Vintage Ivory Original Fabric Living Room Set of 3 Pieces by Paolo Buffa, Italy
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1950s.
This set is very particular and interesting because both the sofa and the armchairs feature vintage brass cones feet.
Their fabric is original and, as you can s...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Brass
Pair of wing armchairs by Paolo Buffa – Italy 1950
By Paolo Buffa, Framar
Located in Girona, Girona
Pair of wing armchairs in solid french polished cherry, new fillings and redone upholstery in black bouclette fabric.
Design by Paolo Buffa for Framar
Italy 1950
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Fabric, Cherry
$11,213 / set
Set of 8 Ebonized Velvet High Back Chiavari Dining Chairs by Paolo Buffa, 1950
By Paolo Buffa, Fratelli Marelli
Located in Rome, IT
Rare set of eight high back side Chiavari ebonized dining chairs, by Paolo Buffa.
Manufactured by Marelli & Colico, Italy
Ebonized wood, white velvet fabric
Very good condition
...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Velvet, Wood
$6,051 Sale Price / set
25% Off
Reupholstered Mid-Century Italian Sofa by Paola Buffa
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Embrace the beautiful uniqueness of legendary Italian designer Paola Buffa with this fantastic petite wingback sofa. Dating to the 1950s, this charming...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Hardwood
$5,200 Sale Price
20% Off
Pair of Ladder Back Armchairs in the style of Paolo Buffa, c.1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in London, GB
Pair of Italian Paolo Buffa ladder back armchairs pleasingly proportioned on cylindrical legs and softly curved ladder backs.
Italian, c.1950's.
Dimensions: H118 x W70 x D62 cm.
Paolo Buffa’s (1903-1970) love of the neoclassic is incorporated into sumptuous pieces of furniture, made in sweeping curves of rosewood with simple detailing. There is a perfect blend not only of mid-century pragmatism about pieces, but the centuries of traditions that came before.
Working initially under Gio Ponti...
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Wood
20th Century Italian Three Piece Suite In Toffee Boucle, Paulo Buffa, c.1950
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
A beautiful set of mid 20th Century Italian armchairs and sofa by Paulo Buffa. These pieces showcase impeccable quality, boasting a ...
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Bouclé, Pine
Two Italian Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical Desk Chairs by Paolo Buffa
By Paolo Buffa
Located in New York, NY
Buffa designed some of the cleanest and most elegant pieces of the post Art Deco, Mid-Century Modern, 'Novecento' period. These side or desk chairs illustrate his total mastery of hi...
Category
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Upholstery
Set of six chairs by Paolo Buffa with original velvet fabric of the period
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Milano, IT
Immerse yourself in the refined atmosphere of 1950s Italian design with this splendid set of six original chairs signed by Paolo Buffa, one of the most distinguished protagonists of ...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Fabric, Velvet, Wood
Pair of Walnut Mid-Century Modern, Wingback Armchairs by Paolo Buffa
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Montreal, QC
Pair of walnut Mid-Century Modern, upholstered wingback armchairs by Paolo Buffa.
Category
1950s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Walnut
Pair Of Armchiars Paolo Buffa Italian Mid-century Design Velvet New
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Palermo, Sicily
We present an amazing pair of Italian armchairs from 1950, completely restored, cone-shaped walnut feet, velvet fabric with geometric designs, inimitable Italian design.
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Velvet
$5,398 Sale Price / set
30% Off
1950 Paolo Buffa MidCentury Italian Design Modernist Wood Stools - set of 2
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Brescia, IT
2 Stool
Paolo Buffa
Italy, 1950
Wood and fabric seat
Brass feet
Excellent Condiction
stool 1: h 45 / w 50 / d 30 cm
stool 2: h 45 / w 43 / d 29 cm
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Wood, Fabric
Paolo Buffa Chiavarine Dining Chair for Galdino Maspero, 1948
By Galdino Maspero, Paolo Buffa
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Colombo Sanguineti Chiavarine dining chair, wood and straw, Italy, 1948
Paolo Buffa, celebrated architect and designer of the Italian mid-century movement, designed this unique set ...
Category
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Straw, Wood
Paolo Buffa & Giovanni Gariboldi – Set of Four Gilt and Lacquered Side Chairs
By Paolo Buffa, Giovanni Gariboldi
Located in Petershagen, DE
This elegant set of four chairs embodies the refined Milanese design sensibility of the mid-20th century. It was born from the collaboration between architect Paolo Buffa and designe...
Category
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Wood, Lacquer
Italy Midcentury Pair of Ebonized Walnut Chiavari Chairs by Paolo Buffa
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Very rare pair of Chiavari chairs in ebonized walnut by Paolo Buffa. The chairs have original fabric seating in geometric designs in excellent conditions. Gilt brass feet.
Measures cm: H 123/48, W 40, D 44.
About PAOLO BUFFA
Italian architect and designer Paolo Buffa (1903-1970) was active between the 1930s and 1960s, and is known for his décor that blends neoclassical style with Art Deco motifs and modernist principles. His pieces are often devoid of trademarks or hallmarks, thus making them difficult to authenticate.
Born and raised in Milan, Buffa studied architecture at the famous Polytechnic of the city, where he graduated in 1927. The following year he founded a design studio together with Antonio Cassi Ramelli, met during a short work in the atelier of Gio Ponti and Emilio Launch. The two designers' professional debut took place in 1930, when the duo presented a dining room installation at that year's Triennale. Between 1933 and 1936, Buffa will found his own studio.
Drawing for the upper social classes in Milan, Buffa's designs are handcrafted in the finest and most quality materials, and are able to rival Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, a legend of French Art Déco. Collaborating with talented cabinetmakers such as Mario Quarti, and skilled craftsmen, Buffa slowly manages to introduce modern techniques to the design scene of the early 1940s. The evolution of Buffa's aesthetics, progressively more and more modern, is very clear and linear; from early neoclassical furniture...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Mahogany
Italian Pair of Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs, Paolo Buffa Pink Coral Velvet
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Elegant pair of Italian 1950s lounge / wingback / armchairs by Paolo Buffa.
These sculptural elegant and large chairs are very comfortable; They have a similar line as Gio Ponti Ar...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Velvet
Italian Pair of Chiavari High Back Chairs by Gaetano Descalzi, Ebonized Mahogany
By Paolo Buffa, Fratelli Levaggi
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Elegant Mid century modern pair of Chiavari high back chairs, Italy, in ebonized mahogany . Re-upholstered
Famous interpretation of the Chiavari chair by the great Milan architect P...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Mahogany
Wood & Magenta Fabric Seat 1950s Dining Chairs by Paolo Buffa, Set of 4
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Varese, Lombardia
High back dining chairs with magenta fabric seats. The 4 chairs have been restored and reupholstered.
The price is referred to the set of 4.
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Fabric, Wood
High Backrest Chiavari Chairs done in Mahogany by Paolo Buffa Pair, Italy 1950s
By Paolo Buffa, Marelli & Colico
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a pair of Mid Century Modern High Backrest Chairs attr. to Italian star of design, Paolo Buffa. The chairs are done in dark wood, most likely mahogany a...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Fabric, Mahogany
Two-Tone Blue Mohair Paulo Buffa Mid-Century Modern Italian Sculptural Sofa
By Paolo Buffa, Gio Ponti
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mid-Century Modern Italian blue mohair sculptural sofa by Paulo Buffa. Very nice Mid-Century Modern form sofa.
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Mohair
Living room set by Paolo Buffa for Pozzi and Verga, 1950s, set of 3
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Manzano, IT
Living room set by Paolo Buffa for Pozzi and Verga, 1950s, set of 3
Entrance hall with pair of brass chairs from the 1950s.
The chairs measure H 135 x D 42 x W 42, and the seat heigh...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Brass
$5,695 Sale Price / set
40% Off
Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Blue Fabric Armchair
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Blue Fabric Armchair
Single armchair
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Fabric
Set of four splendid high back chairs attr. Paolo Buffa
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Milano, IT
COD-Z23
Paolo Buffa (1903-1970)
Set of four splendid high back chairs in light wood with original straw seat in very good condition.
Italy, 1940's
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Wood
Set of Five Paolo Buffa Vintage Seats, circa 1960
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Five beautiful and fine Paolo Buffa chairs
Mahogany and green Skai
circa 1960
Measure: 90 x 42 x 40 cm
Perfect condition!
Category
1960s Vintage Paolo Buffa Seating
Materials
Mahogany
Paolo Buffa seating for sale on 1stDibs.
Paolo Buffa seating are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Paolo Buffa seating, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original seating by Paolo Buffa were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider seating by Franco Albini, Ico Parisi, and Gastone Rinaldi. Prices for Paolo Buffa seating can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $660 and can go as high as $42,274, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $6,109.
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