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.
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.
Wood, Walnut
Pair of Walnut and Fabric Pillow Top Ottomans by Michael Taylor
By Michael Taylor
Located in Palm Springs, CA
1950’s pair of dark walnut and white pillow top fabric ottomans or benches by Michael Taylor. Newly recovered with a white nubby fabric (see detail photos)...
Fabric, Wood
$3,188 / set
H 30.32 in W 25.4 in D 29.93 in
Mid-Cenutry Lounge Chair with Ottoman, Paolo Buffa Style, Italy 1950s
By Paolo Buffa, Brugnoli Mobili Cantú
Located in Roma, IT
Gorgeous Mid-Century armchair / lounge chair with ottoman fully made in beechwood. This iconic piece was designed by Paolo Buffa and produced by Brugnoli Cantù in Italy during the 19...
Wood, Cotton, Upholstery, Beech
$1,250 / set
H 16.5 in W 19.25 in D 13.5 in
Pair of Italian Mid Century Modern Zebra Hide Stool Ottomans
Located in Bedford Hills, NY
A stylish pair of vintage 1970's ottomans featuring dark-finished tapered legs and authentic zebra hide upholstery. These sculptural pieces are ideal as footstools or as flexible "ta...
Animal Skin, Wood
$4,331 / set
H 19.69 in W 17.72 in D 16.15 in
Pair of Important Mid Century Stools by Paolo Buffa (Attr.), Italy, 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Argelato, BO
Pair of important Mid Century stools in solid wood and bouclé fabric, attributable by style to the famous Italian architect and designer Paolo Buffa. The stools have elegant and ori...
Fabric, Wood
Pair of Mid Century X Stretcher Ottomans or Footstools
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Simple and elegant pair of Mid Century ottomans a xwith travel related print in the fabric. X Stretcher in dark walnut. Nice and tight, fabric is good. In excellent vintage condition...
Fabric, Walnut
$19,840Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 38.75 in W 27.5 in D 27.5 in
20th Century White Italian Pair of Walnut Lounge Chairs & Ottoman by Paolo Buffa
By Paolo Buffa
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage Mid-Century Modern pair of Italian lounge chairs and a kidney shaped ottoman, stool made of hand crafted polished Walnut, designed by P...
Metal, Brass
$4,210 / 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
Pair of Mid Century Ottomans with Cushion Tops
By Edward Wormley
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Ca. 1960. A stylish Square ottoman pair in a dark brown stain with square legs reminiscent of the type of furniture designed by Edward Wormley and produced by Dunbar from roughly the...
Wood, Fabric
Suelo Slatted Outdoor Ottoman
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
This Suelo® Slatted outdoor ottoman is beautifully constructed in Ohio, USA. This silhouette is simple, modern, and sleek with comfortable cushion. The...
Mahogany
Unavailable|$3,488
H 32.29 in W 24.81 in D 27.56 in
Mid-Century armchair, Paolo Buffa Style, Italy 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Argelato, BO
Mid-Century armchair in the style of Paolo Buffa, Italy This is a very elegant pair of 1950s Italian armchair, polished solid wood structure and fabric cushions, an iconic and very ...
Fabric, Wood
$11,000
H 28.15 in W 82.29 in D 31.5 in
Mid-Century Walnut Daybed in the Manner of Paolo Buffa, Italy 1960s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Utrecht, NL
This daybed, in the style of Italian design icon Paolo Buffa, is a true testament to the glory days of mid-century modernism. Buffa's design language was always coherent with current...
Fabric, Walnut
Mid Century Danish Modern Walnut Papa Chair Ottoman
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Mid Century Danish Modern Walnut chair ottoman, similar to Hans Wegner design chair ottomans minus the hand hold sides. Circa 1950's, this piece shows it was well cared for and reuph...
Upholstery, Walnut
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.
Wood, Walnut
Paolo Buffa Art Deco Wooden and Floral Fabric Poufs for Arrighi
By Serafino Arrighi, Paolo Buffa
Located in Milano, IT
A beautiful pair of large poufs designed by Paolo Buffa in the 1930s for the fine Italian manufacturer Serafino Arrighi. The poufs show a fine wooden frame, which rises up to form t...
Fabric, Wood