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.
Paolo Buffa Ribbed Buffet for Serafino Arrighi, 1952
By Serafino Arrighi, Paolo Buffa
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Paolo Buffa Ribbed Buffet for Serafino Arrighi, wood, Italy, 1952 Architectural yet richly ornamental, this sculptural buffet designed by Paolo Buffa for Serafino Arrighi in 1952 di...
Wood
$18,664Sale Price|20% Off
Mid 20th Century Italian Striped Wooden Buffet By Paolo Buffa c.1950
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Mid 20th Century large buffet by Paolo Buffa, featuring a striking vertical stripe pattern created with contrasting woods. Standing on four slender legs, the piece includes a central...
Wood
Paolo Buffa Rare high Buffet for Arrighi designs Gariboldi, signed
By Giovanni Gariboldi, Paolo Buffa, Serafino Arrighi
Located in Milano, IT
Magnificent 1950s Credenza by Paolo Buffa for Arrighi - Inlays by Giovanni Gariboldi, Signed An extraordinary example of mid-century Italian design, this grand credenza (high buffet ...
Brass, Bronze
Paolo Buffa Buffet for Serafino Arrighi, 1952
By Paolo Buffa, Serafino Arrighi
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Paolo Buffa Buffet for Serafino Arrighi, wood, Italy, 1952. Designed by Paolo Buffa in 1952 for Serafino Arrighi, this buffet exemplifies the designer’s refined approach to mid-cent...
Wood
Sideboard "Bar Buffet" in the Style of Paolo Buffa, 1950
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Budapest, HU
A wonderful multifunctional Italian sideboard cabinet bar style of Paolo Buffa, 1950s. Measures: H 37.41 in. x W 70.87 in. x D 19.69 in. H 95 cm x W 180 cm x D 50 cm.
Wood
Rare Paolo Buffa Sideboard in Cherry
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Paolo Buffa, sideboard, cherry, brass, Italy, 1940s Crafted by the visionary Italian designer and architect Paolo Buffa (1903-1970), this rare piece exudes a refined decorative allu...
Brass
Cabinet by Paolo Buffa
By Paolo Buffa
Located in London, GB
Exceptional cabinet by Paolo Buffa in walnut with mahogany interior and brass detail. Italy circa 1950. Measures: height 133cm, width 26cm, dept...
Hardwood
$8,620
H 35.44 in W 70.28 in D 20.08 in
Italian Mid-Century Sideboard / Dresser attribuited to Paolo Buffa, 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Buccinasco, MI
Elegant Italian Mid-Century sideboard or dresser from the 1950s, attributed to Paolo Buffa, one of the most refined designers of Italian decorative arts, renowned for furniture chara...
Brass
$4,545
H 21.26 in W 24.41 in D 13 in
Midcentury Nightstand Paolo Buffa Attributed for Esposizione Mobili Cantù
By Paolo Buffa, Consorzio Esposizione Mobili Cantù
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Nice 1930s bedside table in walnut, veneer and burl walnut inlaid, attributed to Paolo Buffa for Consorzio Esposizione Mobili Cantù, with origina...
Brass
$10,766
H 56.7 in W 63.39 in D 19.3 in
Paolo Buffa Wooden Cabinet with Flowers Ceramic Tiles and Fashion Prints, 1950s
By Serafino Arrighi, Paolo Buffa
Located in Milan, IT
Splendid Paolo Buffa Wooden Cabinet with wooden frames containing flowers decorated ceramic tiles, and larger central frames containing fashion prints, Italy 1950s
Brass
20th Century Swedish White Painted Oak Sideboard Buffet
Located in Round Top, TX
20th-century Swedish sideboard buffet crafted in oak with a three-drawer over three-door configuration. The case is finished with carved dental molding along the crown and simple flu...
Brass
$14,950Sale Price|39% Off
H 37.5 in W 87.63 in D 24.5 in
Italian Art Nouveau Carved Walnut Buffet Server, Vittorio Valabrega ‘1861-1952’
By Vittorio Valabrega
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine Italian 19th-20th century Art Nouveau carved walnut buffet server by Vittorio Valabrega (1861-1952). The finely carved walnut body with twin center doors carved with grape vin...
Marble, Silver Plate
Rare John Keal Buffet or Credenza for Brown Saltman
By John Keal
Located in Van Nuys, CA
This Mid-Century Modern buffet or credenza by John Keal for Brown Saltman features three storage drawers and a cabinet behind a pair of double doors. The unit rests on a sculptured l...
Brass
Buffet in Carved Oak, France, Early 20th Century
Located in Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija
This French buffet unfolds like a carved hymn to symmetry and craft. Its tripartite façade is marked by a rhythmic procession of concentric rosettes, each hand-carved with meditative...
Oak
$19,140
H 40.56 in W 87.01 in D 19.69 in
Italian Mid-Century Sideboard by Paolo Buffa for Eugenio Quarti
By Paolo Buffa, Mario Quarti
Located in Roma, RM
An elegant and architecturally composed Italian mid-century sideboard designed by Paolo Buffa and produced in Milan by the distinguished workshop of Eugenio Quarti, circa 1950s. The ...
Wood
$5,144
H 50.79 in W 74.81 in D 16.15 in
Monumental Mid-Century Sideboard in Wood and Brass, Buffa Style, Italy 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Argelato, BO
Monumental and elegant Italian Mid Century sideboard / Drybar in wood and brass, in the style of architect Paolo Buffa, 1950s design. It is a storage unit capable of storing large qu...
Brass
Sold
H 31.7 in W 39.38 in D 14.38 in
Rare 1940 Console by Paolo Buffa in Walnut with Green Malachite Marble Top
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Brescia, Brescia
A magnificent console table designed by Paolo Buffa in the 1940s, a testament to the timeless elegance and craftsmanship of Italian design. This exceptional piece features a stunning...
Marble
Sold
H 34.85 in W 63 in D 17.33 in
Paolo Buffa buffet cabinet, 1940s-50s, Produced by Moses Turri (Bovisio)
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Milano, IT
Six-drawer cabinet veneered in walnut with fronts fielded by boxwood threading to determine a geometric sequence of slightly flattened circles, within which the brass ring handles ar...
Boxwood, Walnut
Paolo Buffa iconic and unique storage unit
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Milano, IT
Paolo Buffa (1903-1970) Rare storageunit with three flap doors, fillets on front and the iconic brass star inlay on both sides, eight legs with brass tips, travertine top with elega...
Wood
Paolo Buffa Paolo Buffa Highboard
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Milano, IT
Paolo Buffa (1903-1970) Unique Italian highboard with six grinded doors and beautiful handles. Bibl. R.Rizzi, I mobili di Paolo Buffa, p 1...
Wood
Paolo Buffa Paolo Buffa Highboard
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Milano, IT
Paolo Buffa (1903-1970) Unique Italian highboard with six grinded doors and beautiful handles. Bibl. R.Rizzi, I mobili di Paolo Buffa, p 1...
Wood
Paolo Buffa Mid-Century Sideboard for Serafino Arrighi
By Serafino Arrighi, Paolo Buffa
Located in Milano, IT
Large and beautiful Mid-century sideboard designed by Paolo Buffa for the fine Italian manufacture of Serafino Arrighi in the 50s. The sideboard is entirely made of fine and solid wo...
Brass
MId-Century Modern Italian Large and Narrow Sideboard by Paolo Buffa
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Miami, FL
Rare Italian mid-century modern large and narrow sideboard by Paolo Buffa. Graciously curved Indian rosewood encasement with chevron pattern Tapered legs with bronze sabots. B...
Cut Glass, Fruitwood
Paolo Buffa Consolle Buffet wood Opaline Glass Brass 1940 Italy
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Milano, IT
Consolle Paolo Buffa.
Brass
Sold
H 40.16 in W 66.93 in D 17.72 in
Paolo Buffa Buffet / Sideboard in Walnut and Brass, Mario Quarti, Milan, 1942
By Paolo Buffa, Mario Quarti
Located in The Hague, NL
This exceptional counter-buffet / sideboard was designed by Paolo Buffa and produced by Mario Quarti in Milan, Italy, circa 1942. The sideboard stands on four grooved, turned twist l...
Brass
Vintage Sideboard with Riser Design Paolo Buffa, 1960s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in taranto, IT
Splendid original sideboard from the 60s, design by paolo buffa, with small upper riser It measures approximately 160 cm in length, 46 cm in width, 90 cm in height (part of the ca...
Wood
Sold
H 55.91 in W 96.26 in D 19.1 in
Piece of Furniture Attributed to Paolo Buffa, Italy, 1950s F.Lli Lietti
By Paolo Buffa, Lietti 1
Located in Milano, IT
Piece of furniture with swing doors, teak veneered wood, inlaid decorative treading, band with grooving, back-treated glass top, wrought brass handles and caps. It had gone through s...
Brass
Paolo Buffa Burled Buffet
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Austin, TX
Paolo Buffa burled elm buffet from Italy. This striking credenza has four ‘bombées’ doors featuring oblong mirrored portholes. The doors open to rosewood veneered shelving within. Th...
Brass