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.
$7,202 / item
Zanotta Joy Roating Shelf by Achille Castiglioni
By Zanotta
Located in New York, NY
Five or seven shelves. Rotating shelf bookcase. Uprights and shelves in medium density fiberboard with internal steel corner reinforcing, finished with scratch resistant embossing in...
Steel
$4,892 / item
Zanotta Joy Roating Shelf by Achille Castiglioni
By Zanotta
Located in New York, NY
Five or seven shelves. Rotating shelf bookcase. Uprights and shelves in medium density fiberboard with internal steel corner reinforcing, finished with scratch resistant embossing in...
Steel
Hanging Shelf by Pierre Cruége
By Rene Gabriel
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Solid oak bookcase designed by Pierre Cruége Located in NY. Original condition.
Oak
Grow Shelf
By Durame
Located in Milan, IT
This striking TOTEM can be used to display objects and books and features the perfect fusion of two materials: the shaped solid larch wood of the structure and the iron shelves with ...
Iron
$15,300
H 69.3 in W 25.6 in D 19.69 in
Italian Postmodern Sculptural Wall Shelf by Ettore Sottsass for Zanotta 1980
By Zanotta, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
Alfiere étagère by Ettore Sottsass for Zanotta, 1980 This rare Italian postmodern sculptural wall shelf was designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1980 for Zanotta. Known as the Alfiere éta...
Marble, Chrome
Shelf Bookcase by Pol Quadens
Located in Geneve, CH
Shelf Bookcase by Pol Quadens Limited Edition Of 8+4 Pieces. Dimensions: D 25 x W 75 x H 200 cm. Materials: Patinated rust steel. Pol Quadens was born in Brussels. His father was a...
Steel
Stairs Glass Shelf
Located in Paris, FR
Shelf Stairs Glass with all structure in clear glass With 6 inclined shelves. Shelf on swivel base.
Glass
Proportions of Stone Shelf 01 by Lee Sisan
Located in Geneve, CH
Proportions of stone shelf 01 by Lee Sisan Dimensions: W 110 x D 35 x H 150 cm Materials: Stainless steel, natural stone Each piece is made to order a...
Stone, Steel
Oak Stedge Shelf 60 by Leonard Aldenhoff
Located in Geneve, CH
Oak Stedge shelf 60 by Leonard Aldenhoff. Materials: Metal, oak. Dimensions: D 22 x W 60 x H 120 cm. Available in oak, smoked oak, black oak or white oak. Also available add-on s...
Metal
Spectator Shelf by Freia Achenbach
By Freia Achenbach
Located in Geneve, CH
Spectator shelf by Freia Achenbach Limited Edition of 50 Dimensions: D 110 x W 33 cm x H 200 cm Materials: resin, sand, foam If a sensory stimulus is offered to our perception, the ...
Resin, Foam
Meritalia Cross Shelf, Black by Carlo Contin
By Carlo Contin, Meritalia
Located in Toronto, ON
Bookcase in ashwood, supported and structured by the primary design geometry of a diagonal cross. Current production. Includes Certificate of Authenticity.
Wood
Proportions of Stone Shelf 03 by Lee Sisan
Located in Geneve, CH
Proportions of Stone Shelf 03 by Lee Sisan Dimensions: W 120 x D 40 x H 200 cm Materials: Stainless steel, natural stone Each piece is made to order and u...
Stone, Steel
Aluminum Rational Jigsaw Shelf by Studio Julien Manaira
Located in Geneve, CH
Aluminum rational jigsaw shelf by Studio Julien Manaira Dimensions: 72.5 x 25 x 140 cm Materials: brushed and waxed aluminum The intention behind this project is to highlight the traces from the actions of the maker. In this sense, the choice of the jigsaw is deliberate and allows a strong physical relation between maker and material, that will remain tangible in the final object. Each of these cuts is unique and have their own character emanating from what happened on the very moment of the making. They stand out from the regular and smooth cuts realized digitally in a factory. Digital and manual inputs have equal importance in the objects. They communicate their differences in order to create a strong dynamic between the two methodologies of work. Without suggesting which is better, they create their own narrative and are the reflection of two temporalities: the digital work is continuous when the manual work is the track of a particular moment. The created objects intend to be the presentation of these approaches of the material. The dynamic and anarchic way of cutting by hand respond to the linear and supervised vision of the computer-cut elements. The pieces intend to be functional objects carrying the narrated discussion between the controlled and uncontrolled treatments of the material. Julien Manaira (France,1992) successively studied industrial design (La martinière, Lyon) and fine arts -option product design (Esad, Reims). in 2015 he came to Amsterdam to follow a temporary master program (Materialisation in Art and Design) at the Sandberg Institute where he graduated in 2017 before opening his studio in the same city. His graduation project ‘The once liquid plastic’ was awarded by the RADO Star Prize 2017 and the 3rd prize of the Pure Talent Contest at IMM Cologne 2018. In the last years, he exhibited his works in different established and recognized organizations such as Paris Design Week, IMM Cologne, Design Parade Hyères, and Milan Design Week. He was commissioned by different companies, among which Nilufar Gallery, Nubikk, Van Dijk Store as well as private clients. The main focus in his practice is setting processes that allow the manufacturer or him to be mentally and physically involved in the transformation of material towards an object. He believes that this empowerment is a way to engage deeper the audience or user’s perception, and therefore create a stronger connection with the object. Serendipity, combining industrial and artisanal material, are examples of how he aims to create objects that are able to communicate their undergone transformations. ©Iris Box...
Aluminum
$1,491 / item
H 59.06 in W 41.34 in D 11.82 in
Achille Castiglioni & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni 'Libreria Pensile' by Karakter
By Achille Castiglioni, Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Shelve designed by Achille Castiglioni and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1957. Originally designed in 1957, perfected over the years, and produced by Bernini in 1966. Seeking to pa...
Wood