Poltronova is known for embracing the creativity that opposites can introduce to a space. Its radical modernist furniture and lighting fixtures are simultaneously grounded in classic aesthetics and inspired by what were then new and provocative artistic movements in mid-century Italy, when the company was founded. This tension resulted in unique and extraordinary pieces at the manufacturer, from eccentric, glove-shaped armchairs to striking dining tables that feature a mix of materials and textures.
Italian designer Sergio Cammilli founded Poltronova in Tuscany in 1957. That same year, it won the Compasso d’Oro for the Panchetto chair designed by Luciano Nustrini. Revolutionary Italian architect Ettore Sottsass — a maestro of postmodern design who would later establish the Memphis Group — came on board as an art director in 1958. Poltronova manufactured many of his furniture and ceramic designs. Sottsass’s lighting, seating and other works for Poltronova showcase the designer’s bold experimentation with solid wood, glass, metal and laminate materials.
Other established names in Italian furniture design collaborated with Poltronova’s Sottsass and Cammilli, including Giovanni Michelucci, Gae Aulenti and Angelo Mangiarotti. However, the company truly set itself apart in its collaborations with Superstudio and Archizoom Associati, groups that were part of an irreverent, avant-garde movement in art and design that took shape during the 1960s in Florence, Turin and Milan. Collectives associated with the movement — which would one day be called Italian Radical design — drew on Pop art and minimalism and explored working with unconventional materials to create colorful, quirky and uniquely shaped objects and furnishings. At the time, Poltronova also worked with up-and-coming names in the art world, like painter Max Ernst and sculptor Mario Ceroli.
Poltronova showcased its groundbreaking designs in many exhibitions, such as “La Casa Abitata,” which was held in Florence in 1965. At Milan's Eurodomus trade show in 1970, Poltronova debuted an entire bedroom collection designed by Sottsass — including his sensuous Ultrafragola mirror. The brand’s furnishings were included in a 1972 exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art called "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape," and in 1977, Poltronova again won the Compasso d’Oro for a book called Fare Mobili con Poltronova (Making Furniture with Poltronova).
Poltronova's enduring and acclaimed furniture designs came to be loved far outside Italy. During the 1960s, importer Charles Stendig represented the company and helped introduce it to the American market.
In 2005, Poltronova established the Centro Studi Poltronova to recreate some of the company's iconic furniture. The brand has also recently collaborated with English architect Nigel Coates, who worked with a Poltronova master craftsman in Italy to design a series of limited-edition furniture in 2011, including the Domo chair.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Poltronova tables, seating, storage cabinets and more.
Ettore Sottsass for Design Centre/Poltronova 'Cometa' Floor Lamp
By Design Centre, Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ettore Sottsass for Design Centre/Poltronova, 'Cometa' floor lamp, model 'L026', acrylic, lacquered metal, chrome, Italy, design 1970 A funky and irresistibly charming floor lamp d...
Metal, Chrome
Ettore Sottsass for Design Centre/Poltronova ‘Bruco’ Wall Lights
By Poltronova, Design Centre, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ettore Sottsass for Design Centre/Poltronova, ‘Bruco’ wall light from the Mobili Grigi series, chrome-plated brass, methacrylate (translucent Perspex), enameled aluminum, Italy, 1970 This ‘Bruco’ wall light is created by Ettore Sottsass as part of the Mobili Grigi collection for Poltronova and produced by Design Centre in 1970. The advancements in lamp technology have influenced the design of lighting fixtures. The Bruco light was created as a result of the use of breakthrough materials and technologies of the seventies. Designer...
Brass, Chrome
20th Century Ettore Sottsass Mirror Ultrafragola for Poltronova
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Turin, Turin
Ettore Sottsass was a 20th-century Italian architect, noted for also designing furniture, jewellery, glass, lighting, home and office wares, as well as numerous buildings and interio...
Opal
Ettore Sottsass Chandelier, 1970
By Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Vienna, AT
Rare ‚Bruco‘ chandelier designed by Ettore Sottsass for Design Centre / Poltronova in 1970. Minimalist chrome structure with a large methacrylate diffuser. Very nice original conditi...
Aluminum, Chrome
"Pac-Man" Arco Floor Lamp by Superstudio for Poltronova, 1970s
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in bruxelles, BE
Arched floor lamp in metal, plastic and marble designed by Superstudio. Pac Man model. The globe opens and closes. Wear and tear due to time and age. FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR REC...
Marble, Metal
Metal Floor Lamp by Sergio Asti, 1968
By Poltronova, Sergio Asti
Located in Berlin, DE
This impressive floor lamp is made of black enameled metal, it's reflector has three convexities and is made of white, translucid acrylic. _ 'Sergio Asti (born 1926) is an Italian...
Metal
$4,202Sale Price|20% Off
Superstudio Italian Midcentury Gherpe Lamp for Poltronova 1960s
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Lampada da tavolo modello Gherpe disegnata da Superstudio per Poltronova con struttura e diffusori in metacrilato tagliato e termoformato e particolari in metallo, produzione Italia ...
Metal
Asteroid Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova Italy 1968 , Memphis
By Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Antwerpen, Antwerp
Ettore Sottsass was a pioneering designer, artist and architect known for his bold approach to midcentury design. He opened his own design and architecture studio in 1947 and became ...
Metal
"Pac-Man" Arco Floor Lamp by Superstudio for Poltronova, 1970s
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in bruxelles, BE
Arched Floor lamp in metal designed by Superstudio, the plastic globe is in the shape of a pac man and the foot is in marble. Wear due to time and age. FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR R...
Marble, Metal
$4,298Sale Price|20% Off
1970s "Gherpe" Table Lamp by Superstudio for Poltronova – Italian Radical Design
By Superstudio, Poltronova
Located in BARCELONA, ES
"Gherpe" table lamp by Superstudio for Poltronova The "Gherpe" table lamp by Superstudio for Poltronova, created in the 60s, is a groundbreaking example of Italian Radical Design. ...
Acrylic
Asteroid Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, Italy, 1968
By Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Melbourne, VIC
The Asteroid Lamp is indeed a remarkable piece of design created by Ettore Sottsass in 1968. Ettore Sottsass was a prominent Italian designer and archite...
Metal
Table Lamp Gherpe Model by Superstudio for Poltronova, Italy
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in Milan, Italy
Lamp in cut and thermoformed Pespex, with plates and fittings in polished steel and knobs in turned nylon. The Gherpe lamp does not belong to the tradit...
Aluminum
$3,905 / item
Poltronova PASSIFLORA Table lamp by Superstudio
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Passiflora lighting fixture comes from a painted cardboard prototype made for the exhibition “Superarchitettura” [December 1966], a manifesto of Radical Design. The cardboard was...
Plastic
Ettore Sottsass, Cometa Floor Light, by Poltronova circa 1970
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova Cometa floor lamp, no. L026 acrylic, lacquered metal, chrome, Italy, designed 1970 and produced for the Design Centre by Poltronova, Italy as part of t...
Metal, Chrome
Gae Aulenti Locus Solus Yellow floor lamp for Poltronova Italy 1964
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Skokie, IL
This Gae Aulenti Locus Solus floor lamp is an original production example from the 1960s. The lamp features an adjustable height and angle head, handles on the heavy base for ease of...
Steel
Poltronova GHERPE Table lamp in Opaline white by Superstudio
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Gherpe table lamp does not belong to the traditional typologies of lighting fixtures placed on a surface, due to its form like the shell of a marine c...
Nylon
Poltronova GHERPE Table lamp in fluorescent red by Superstudio
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Gherpe table lamp does not belong to the traditional typologies of lighting fixtures placed on a surface, due to its form like the shell of a marine c...
Nylon
Table Lamp Passiflora Model by Superstudio for Poltronova, Italy
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in Milan, Italy
Perspex lamp and opal tube cut and glued. The Passiflora lighting fixture originates from a prototype in painted cardboard for the "Superarchitettura" exhibition [December 1966], ...
Plexiglass
Superstudio for Design Centre "Excelsior" Floor Lamp, Italy 1969
By Design Centre, Superstudio
Located in Naples, IT
Floor lamp mod. Excelsior with chrome-plated metal frame and coloured glass diffusers. Prod. Francesconi for Design Centre, Italy, 1969. Small crack on one of the spheres.
Chrome
Ettore Sottsass Callimaco Floor Lamp for Artemide
By Ettore Sottsass, Artemide
Located in Glendale, CA
Ettore Sottsass 'Callimaco' floor lamp for Artemide. Originally created in 1982, Ettore Sottsass’ “horn” of light creates the remarkable illusion of an oversized musical instrument...
Aluminum
Ettore Sottsass Pausania Table Lamp 1982
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Encino, CA
Ettore Sottsass (1917) Edition Artemide. One table lamp Model PAUSANIA 1982 Measurements: H 16"1/2 x W 18"3/4 x D 4"1/4 This lamps shows some marks of old repairs but works perfectl...
Stainless Steel
$4,202Sale Price|20% Off
H 15.75 in W 21.66 in D 13.78 in
Superstudio Italian Midcentury Gherpe Lamp for Poltronova 1960s
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Lampada da tavolo modello Gherpe disegnata da Superstudio per Poltronova con struttura e diffusori in metacrilato tagliato e termoformato e particolari in metallo, produzione Italia ...
Metal
$14,328 / set
H 27.17 in W 14.38 in D 5.32 in
19th Century Pair Italian White Porcelain Baroque Mirrors with Flowers
Located in Brescia, IT
Beautiful and fine pair of white Maiolica mirrors with elegant multi-color flowers drawings, in Baroque Style, handmade in Bassano by the well known Manufacturer Antonibon, coming fr...
Iron
$2,865 / set
H 17.72 in W 9.06 in D 8.67 in
Antique 18th Century Double Eagle Wall Mirrors Candle Sconces Repoussé Brass
Located in Munich, DE
This pair of 18th centurty repoussé brass walls sconces has retained its original condition and patina as well as the original mirror glass. A pair...
Brass
$3,800 / set
H 38.5 in W 15 in D 4 in
Pair of Early 19th Century Continental Neoclassical Giltwood Sconce Mirrors
Located in Essex, MA
Pair of early 19th century continental sconce mirrors with original early glass and original gilding. Two arm sconces for candles. Great size and wo...
Mirror, Beech, Giltwood
Floor lamp by Nanda Vigo mod 4041 for Kartell, 1968
By Kartell, Nanda Vigo
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Rare floor lamp designed in 1968 by Nanda Vigo for Kartell, lacquered aluminum base and top closure and white methacrylate diffuser. Neon lighting, fully functional. True example of ...
Aluminum
$10,336
H 46.66 in Dm 10.04 in
Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo, 'Manifesto' Ceiling Lamp 1970, Longest Red Version
By Stilnovo, Ettore Sottsass
Located in London, GB
Ettore Sottsass, Austria/Italy (designer) Stilnovo, Italy (manufacturer) 'Manifesto' ceiling lamp, designed 1970 Chrome-plated and red lacquered metal shade. Original bulb holde...
Metal, Chrome
$68,000 / set
H 39.5 in W 17 in D 8.5 in
Pair of 18th Century English Giltwood Chinoiserie Mirrors with Candleholders
Located in New York, NY
Beautiful pair of antique 18th century George II chinoiserie English carved giltwood mirrors with candleholders. These magnificently hand-carved giltwood mirrors are meticulously detailed and adorned with acanthus leaves flourishing throughout the frame with flowers and vines blossoming all around. On each mirror has a double arm gilt metal candleholder held up by acanthus vines growing upwards out of the plane of the mirrors, the primary wood is pine. From an Important and old NYC...
Mirror, Giltwood
$17,000 / set
H 29 in W 15 in D 2 in
Mirrored Wall Sconces Swedish Gustavian 18th Century Signed Gilded Sweden, Pair
Located in New York, NY
A pair of mirrored wall sconces made during the early part of the Gustavian period 1775-1790. Made and signed by frame maker Johan Martin ...
Wood
$8,958
H 31.5 in Dm 10.04 in
Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo, 'Manifesto' Ceiling Lamp, 1970, Short Blue Version
By Ettore Sottsass, Stilnovo
Located in London, GB
Ettore Sottsass, Austria/Italy (designer) Stilnovo, Italy (manufacturer) 'Manifesto' ceiling lamp, designed 1970 Chrome-plated and blue lacquered metal shade with white interior...
Metal, Chrome
"Pac-Man" Arco Floor Lamp by Superstudio for Poltronova, 1970s
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in bruxelles, BE
Arched floor lamp in metal, plastic and marble designed by Superstudio. Pac Man model. The globe opens and closes. Wear and tear due to time and age. FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR REC...
Marble, Metal
Sold
H 14.97 in W 20.48 in D 12.21 in
Gherpe table lamp by Superstudio for Design Center Poltronova, 1960s
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in bruxelles, BE
Italian lamp in pink plastic by Superstudio. Gherpe model. You can move each part to get the shape you prefer. Wear due to time and age of the lamp. FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR RECE...
Metal
Sold
H 14.97 in W 12.21 in D 20.87 in
Poltronova - Gherpe Light + Luminous Object - 1968 by Superstudio, Italy
By Superstudio, Poltronova
Located in Munster, NRW
Gherpe light, 1968 by Superstudio for Poltronova, Italy. The Gherpe table lamp does not belong to the traditional typologies of lighting fixtures placed on a surface, due to its for...
Acrylic
Sold
H 15 in W 21 in D 12.25 in
Superstudio early Production Gherpe Lamp by Francesconi for Poltronova in pink
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in Skokie, IL
Offered is a extremely nice early example of the Gherpe lamp design in 1967 by Superstudio and manufactured by Francesconi, Ronacadelle for Design Centre Poltronova, Italy, 1960s Ad...
Acrylic
Sold
H 15 in W 21 in D 12.25 in
Limited Edition Blue Model “Gherpe” Table Lamp by Superstudio for Poltronova
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in Skokie, IL
Superstudio limited edition blue “Gherpe” table lamp for Poltronova, Italy 1967 / c. 2013. Approximately 30 examples were produced in blue. Impressed manufacturer's mark to chrome [c...
Metal
"Pac-Man" Arco Floor Lamp by Superstudio for Poltronova, 1970s
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in bruxelles, BE
Arco metal floor lamp by superstudio, the plastic globe is shaped like a pac man. Wear due to time and age of the lamp.
Metal
Sold
H 76.78 in W 39.38 in D 5.12 in
Early Edition Ultrafragola Mirror by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1970s
By Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in amstelveen, NL
Early edition Ultrafragola mirror designed by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, Italy 1970s. White discolored plastic frame, mirror glass, neon light, wooden back panel. Lovely discolo...
Glass, Plastic
Sold
H 66.93 in W 34.65 in D 15.75 in
Italian Mid-Century Yellow Floor Lamp Locus Solus Gae Aulenti Poltronova, 1960s
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century Yellow floor lamp Locus Solus by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, 1960s Floor lamp from the Locus Solus series. The spherica...
Metal
20th Century Ettore Sottsass Mirror Ultrafragola for Poltronova
By Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Turin, Turin
Mirror / lighting "Ultrafragola" designed in 1970s by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, in vacuum-formed opaline acrylic. Ultrafragola, with its sinuous shape, evocative of a wavy female hair, belongs to the series of Grey Furniture...
Opal
Sold
H 11.42 in W 11.82 in D 16.15 in
Table Lamp Passiflora Model by Superstudio for Poltronova, Italy
By Poltronova, Superstudio
Located in Milan, Italy
Perspex lamp and opal tube cut and glued. The Passiflora lighting fixture originates from a prototype in painted cardboard for the "Superarchitettura" exhibition [December 1966], ...
Plexiglass
Sold
H 88.59 in W 14.97 in D 14.97 in
Floor Lamp Sanremo Model by Archizoom Associati for Poltronova, Italy
By Poltronova, Archizoom Associati
Located in Milan, Italy
The structure is in pearl lacquered metal and the leaves in laser-cut Perspex. The prototype of the Sanremo floor lamp was Dario Bartolini's enga...
Metal
20th Century Ettore Sottsass Mirror Ultrafragola for Poltronova
By Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Turin, Turin
Mirror / lighting "Ultrafragola" designed in 1970s by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, in vacuum-formed opaline acrylic. Ultrafragola, with its sinuous shape, evocative of a wavy female hair, belongs to the series of Grey Furniture...
Opal