Collectors of vintage mid-century modern furniture will find that the work of Italian designer Vittorio Dassi is elegant and sculptural, brimming with all of the clean, angular lines and pleasing symmetry associated with the best of the era’s offerings. While Dassi's name is less known to enthusiasts of the period’s furniture than the likes of Ico and Luisa Parisi, Franco Albini and other leading lights of mid-20th century Italian design, his case pieces, tables and seating will prove no less worthy of hunting down at today's flea markets and online marketplaces.
Wood was Dassi's preferred material — he favored rosewood, mahogany, walnut and other species for his covetable desks and wall units, which frequently featured decorative flourishes such as glass inlays, while a sideboard or buffet’s fronts might boast hand-carved geometric cutouts in lieu of brass door handles.
While little is known about Dassi's early life, it is believed that his career in furniture design began in 1940 at his family's company Dassi Mobili Moderni, in Lissone, Italy. Shortly thereafter, he took over managing the company from his father.
While Dassi produced dry bars and other case pieces during the 1950s that featured the motifs and ornament that are today attributed to the Art Deco movement, he created sumptuous mahogany nightstands topped with black glass and minimalist teak coffee tables that better represented the forward-looking spirit of mid-century modernism. His wall units of the era for Mobili Cantù are works of art — crafted in walnut and featuring birch veneers and high-gloss lacquer finishes as well as a single door front decorated with an abstract painting or otherwise provocative illustration, these structures would undoubtedly prove quite impressive to the likes of Poul Cadovius and George Nelson.
Dassi often collaborated with Italian architect, editor and furniture designer Gio Ponti. Ponti designed thousands of furnishings and products — from cabinets, mirrors and chairs to ceramics and coffeemakers — and his buildings, including the brawny Pirelli Tower (1956) in his native Milan, and the castle-like Denver Art Museum (1971), were erected in 14 countries. A collaboration between Dassi and Ponti of note is the pair’s work on the Hotel Royal in Naples — Ponti was commissioned to design the hotel and he partnered with Dassi to design the hotel's furnishings.
Today, Dassi Mobili Moderni S.R.L. is still in operation in Lissone.
Find vintage Vittorio Dassi furniture on 1stDibs.
Pair of Model 620 Reclining Lounge Chairs by Vittorio Dassi, Italy, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Buccinasco, MI
An elegant and highly collectible pair of Model 620 reclining lounge chairs attributed to Vittorio Dassi, designed and manufactured in Italy during the 1950s. These chairs embody the...
Brass
$3,092Sale Price / set|50% Off
H 39.38 in W 18.9 in D 18.9 in
Six Vittorio Dassi Mid-Century Modern Italian Mahogany Dining Chairs, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Six dining chairs designed by the famous Italian architect Vittorio Dassi, solid mahogany chairs and original eco-leather upholstery, in excellen...
Faux Leather, Walnut
$5,153 / set
H 35.83 in W 17.72 in D 21.26 in
Vittorio Dassi Mid-Century Modern Italian Dinning Chairs, 1950s, Set of Four
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Gorgeous set of four mid-century Italian dining chairs by Vittorio Dassi, recently reupholstered in ivory satin velvet, restored and polished with shellac.
Fabric, Walnut
$5,688 / set
H 33.47 in W 25.99 in D 38.98 in
Rare Pair of Model 2254 Lounge Chairs by Børge Mogensen with Ottomans 1950s Wool
By Fredericia, Børge Mogensen
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Rare pair of Model 2254. ''Slaedestolen'' lounge chairs with matching pair of Model 2248. ottomans. Designed by Børge Mogensen for Fredericia in the 1950s. The Model 2254. lounge cha...
Leather, Wool, Oak
Set of 6 chairs by Vittorio Dassi, 50s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Buzzò, Emilia-Romagna
Embrace the height of Mid-Century Modern sophistication with this set of six dining chairs by the celebrated Italian designer Vittorio Dassi. Designed and first produced in 1959, the...
Wood
Set of 8 Vittorio Dassi Diningroom Chairs, Italy 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi, Mobilificio Dassi
Located in Wolfurt, AT
Set of 8 Dinning - Chairs Designed by Vittorio Dassi and manufactured in the 1940s by the Dassi workshop in Italy. The chairs feature solid mahogany frames. The seats require reupho...
Wood, Faux Leather
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Italian Lounge Chairs, 1950s
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Almelo, NL
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Italian Lounge Chairs, 1950s This refined pair of Italian lounge chairs dates to the 1950s and captures the quiet elegance of mid-century modern design. W...
Upholstery, Wood
$5,955 / set
H 28.35 in W 32.29 in D 29.14 in
Pair of Italian Design Lounge Chairs, Trafilisa Isa Bergamo, Italy 1950s
Located in Greding, DE
Pair of midcentury armchairs on conical legs and straight frames. The upholstery was newly covered with a white woven fabric with black piping.
Fabric, Wood
Vintage Italian chairs by Vittorio Dassi, 1950
By Dassi Mobili Moderni, Vittorio Dassi
Located in Premariacco, IT
An exquisite set of six Italian chairs from the 1950s, attributed to Vittorio Dassi, characterized by an elegant and sculptural design that perfectly embodies postwar Italian design....
Hide, Wood
$6,871 / set
H 31.89 in W 26.38 in D 25.99 in
Pair of Italian Midcentury Dione Gastone Rinaldi Lounge Chairs, 1950s
By Gastone Rinaldi
Located in Paris, FR
The Gastone Rinaldi Dione model is a true Classic of midcentury design. Created by the renowned Italian designer Gastone Rinaldi, the Dione model was first produced in the 1950s and ...
Stainless Steel
Pair of 1950s Upholstered Lounge Chairs
Located in New York, NY
Pair of 1950s lounge or slipper chairs in the manner of Gilbert Rohde. Off-white upholstery with black lacquered wood legs. Dunbar style.
Upholstery, Wood
$5,039Sale Price|20% Off
H 35.44 in W 31.5 in D 31.5 in
Italian Midcentury Reclinable Lounge Chair or Armchair, 1950
Located in Rome, IT
Original Mid-Century Modern reclinable lounge chair or chaise longue. This extremely comfortable reclinable chair and can be set in several positions, with or without the footrest e...
Iron
$5,800 / set
H 37.8 in W 25.6 in D 27.56 in
Pair of Midcentury Lounge Chairs by Frits Henningsen, 1950s
By Frits Henningsen
Located in Lejre, DK
Pair of Classic midcentury lounge chairs upholstered in fabric and standing on solid mahogany legs. Designed by Danish architect Frits Henningsen, circa 1940. Made in Denmark. Great ...
Fabric, Mahogany
$8,245Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 31.11 in W 81.11 in D 38.59 in
Dining Table and Eight Chairs by Vittorio Dassi, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Budapest, HU
Table and eight chairs designed by the Italian artist Vittorio Dassi in 1950. Table with a green glass top, a lower shelf, drawer chest on one side, and mirrored and decorated, close...
Glass, Maple, Walnut
$1,708 / set
H 36.62 in W 18.12 in D 18.12 in
Dining Chairs Attributed to Vittorio Dassi for Dassi, 1950s, Set of 6
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Set of six chairs attributed to Vittorio Dassi, 1950s. Ebonized beech structure, green leatherette seat and backrest, brass tips. Piece attributed to the above designer. It has no h...
Faux Leather, Beech
Pair of Lounge Chairs, Italy, 1950s
Located in New York, NY
Pair of low lounge chairs featuring wingback-style backs with distinctly shaped corners. The chairs rest on tapered legs and are upholstered in green velvet. The solid wood frames ha...
Upholstery, Wood
Sold
H 30.71 in W 18.9 in D 22.84 in
Mid-Century Italian lounge chairs by Vittorio Dassi & Edmondo Palutari, 1950's
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Diest, BE
Chairs were designed by Vittorio Dassi & Edmondo Palutari and produced by Dassi Mobili Moderni in the 1950s.
Textile, Wool, Wood
Sold
H 30.71 in W 25.2 in D 31.5 in
Reclining Lounge Chair, Model 620, by Vittorio Dassi, Italy, 1960s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Hellouw, NL
This rare model 620 lounge chair was designed in the 1960s by Italian designer Vittorio Dassi. The frame consists entirely of teak and is made in a style typ...
Brass