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Zanotta Lighting

Italian

Entrepreneur Aurelio Zanotta founded Zanotta in 1954 in Nova Milanese, Italy. Originally called Zanotta Poltrona, it specialized in traditional furniture. By the early 1960s, however, Zanotta had established a reputation for edgy mid-century modern design. Today’s vintage furniture collectors know the brand well for its innovative and wholly sculptural chairs, coffee tables and more.

One of Zanotta’s earliest successes was the Mezzadro stool — better known as the Tractor stool — designed by Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and his brother Achille in the late 1950s. In 1965, Zanotta was among the first furniture companies to work with expanded polyurethane foam and frameless construction, such as for the Throw-Away sofas and armchairs designed by Willie Landels. Another popular design was the Blow chair — designed by Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, Paolo Lomazzi and Carla Scolari — viewed by many as a physical expression of late '60s carefree culture.

In 1969, amid the provocative movement we now call Italian Radical Design, Zanotta’s Sacco chair garnered major attention. The boundary-pushing beanbag chair was the brainchild of designers Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro who presented it to Aurelio Zanotta as a transparent vinyl sack loosely filled with small polystyrene balls. He suggested its signature brightly colored leather.

The Sacco chair won the 1970 ADI Design Museum’s Compasso d’Oro award. In 1972, the Museum of Modern Art in New York included it in the landmark exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” curated by designer Emilio Ambasz. In 2020, it received a Compasso d’Oro ADI Lifetime Achievement Award for 50 years of enduring popularity. It is now in museum collections around the world including the Triennale Design Museum of Milan, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.

After Aurelio Zanotta died in 1991, the company remained in his family and has been run by his three children since 2002. Zanotta continues to set the bar high for furniture design with trend-setting pieces.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Zanotta seating, tables and other furniture.

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Creator: Zanotta
Italian modern magnetic table lamp by Theodore Waddell for Zanotta, 1971
Italian modern magnetic table lamp by Theodore Waddell for Zanotta, 1971

Italian modern magnetic table lamp by Theodore Waddell for Zanotta, 1971

By Zanotta, Theodore Waddell

Located in MIlano, IT

Italian modern magnetic table lamp by Theodore Waddell for Zanotta, 1971 Table lamp with magnetic ignition. The central base is a structure with a rectangular base with a convex top ...

Category

1970s Italian Modern Vintage Zanotta Lighting

Materials

Metal

Model 8½ table lamp with optic fibres by Jürgen Fischer for Zanotta, 1960s
Model 8½ table lamp with optic fibres by Jürgen Fischer for Zanotta, 1960s

Model 8½ table lamp with optic fibres by Jürgen Fischer for Zanotta, 1960s

By Zanotta, Fischer J.

Located in Rotterdam, NL

Model 8½ table lamp with optic fibres, designed by Jürgen Fischer for Zanotta in 1969. As described by Fulvio and Napoleone Ferrari in their book on Italian lighting: "Table lamp ra...

Category

1960s Italian Space Age Vintage Zanotta Lighting

Materials

Metal

"Paracar" Totemic White Floor Lamp by Zanotta, Italy, 1970s
"Paracar" Totemic White Floor Lamp by Zanotta, Italy, 1970s

"Paracar" Totemic White Floor Lamp by Zanotta, Italy, 1970s

By Zanotta

Located in Milan, IT

Opaline plexiglass round shade and plastic body. Top and base can be enlightened separately with a beautiful floor switch Literature: Casa Vogue magazine #4 May 1970 page 93

Category

1970s Italian Vintage Zanotta Lighting

Materials

Plastic

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Zanotta lighting for sale on 1stDibs.

Zanotta lighting are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of plastic and are designed with extraordinary care. Many of the original lighting by Zanotta were created in the modern style in italy during the 1970s. Prices for Zanotta lighting can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $3,896 and can go as high as $3,896, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,896.