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.
Cantone Corner Cabinet with Three Shelves, Ettore Sottsass for Zanotta, 1981
By Zanotta, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Milano, Lombardia
"Cantone" corner shelving unit with three stacked sections, featuring a lacquered wood frame and Bacterio laminate, with chrome-plated metal supports. Designed by Ettore Sottsass, pr...
Metal
European Inlaid Corner Wood Shelves
Located in San Francisco, CA
C. 19th century Adorable European inlaid corner wood shelves.
Wood
$22,846Sale Price|20% Off
H 82.68 in W 27.96 in D 28.35 in
Gio Ponti briarwood corner cabinet, with certified
By Gio Ponti
Located in Milano, IT
"Gio Ponti's masterpiece: A magnificent corner cabinet in walnut burl with bronze accents." This extraordinary corner cabinet, designed by the famous Gio Ponti, is a beautiful eleme...
Wood
5 Shelves Italian Corner Cabinet, 1980s
Located in Palermo, IT
Italian corner cabinet with 5 shelves, 1980s Intact and in good condition. Height 131 cm, sides 40 cm. It will be shipped disassembled because it can be assembled very easily.
Wood
Victorian Bamboo Corner Cabinet
Located in Pomona, CA
A 19th century Bamboo Corner Cabinet. Two cupboards decorated with Victorian embossed hard paper. Real bamboo. Unusual piece.
Bamboo
Rosewood Corner Cabinet
Located in Puslinch, ON
Condition: Great Vintage Condition Dimensions: 33.75" x 21.25" D x 54.75" H Description: A vintage rosewood corner cabinet. Freshly imported from Denmark. In great condition. Comes...
Rosewood
Antique Pine Corner Cabinet With Divided Lights
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An exceptional and charming 19th-century provincial corner cabinet crafted from beautifully aged pine. This classic country piece features a two-tier structural layout, striking a ba...
Glass, Pine
$3,200
H 52.5 in W 24 in D 17 in
Rustic Indian 19th Century Corner Cabinet with Carved Motifs and Shelves
Located in Yonkers, NY
A small Indian rustic wooden corner display cabinet from the 19th century with carved geometric motifs, bow front shelves and weathered appearance. Created in India during the 19th century, this antique wooden corner cabinet...
Wood
Mid-Century Modern Teak Corner Cabinet with Doors
Located in Torino, IT
Elegant corner cabinet made of teak, an authentic expression of Northern European Mid-Century Modern design. The choice of the corner configuration responds to an educated and functi...
Teak
$1,457Sale Price|24% Off
H 60.63 in W 34.65 in D 22.05 in
Antique Late Empire Corner Cabinet With Shelves Made In Mahogany From 1840s
Located in Lejre, DK
The antique Late Empire corner cabinet with mahogany shelves from the 1840s is an impressive piece of furniture history that exudes elegance and timeless beauty. The corner cabinet i...
Mahogany
$394
H 47.25 in W 24.41 in D 14.38 in
Antique Wooden Corner Whatnot / Étagère with 4 Shelves and Turned Columns
Located in Lejre, DK
Antique corner whatnot / étagère made of wood with four shelves and decorative turned columns. Its tall, narrow construction makes it suitable for corner placement and display of sma...
Wood
Mahogany Corner Cabinet
Located in Annville, PA
The Mahogany Corner Cabinet. A two part Corner China Closet which can be shipped and installed easily is made from kiln dried, plantation grown...
Glass, Mahogany
Large Mahogany Corner Cabinet
Located in Annville, PA
This double door, Large Mahogany Corner Cabinet is manufactured from kiln dried, plantation grown, mahogany, and features figured mahogany vene...
Glass, Mirror, Mahogany
$19,177Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 56.3 in W 32.29 in D 22.84 in
Zanotta Edizioni Mombasa Chest of Drawers in Brown Painted by Ettore Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass, Zanotta
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta Edizioni Mombasa Chest of Drawers in Brown Painted by Ettore Sottsass Signed original. Upper frame, lower drawer top and feet veneered in open pore dark brown painted ash. L...
Pearwood
Mahogany inlaid corner cabinet
Located in Cheshire, GB
Mahogany, satinwood, and marquetry inlaid corner cabinet, featuring a moulded cornice above two glazed doors enclosing two fixed shelves. The lower section with a conforming frieze a...
Wood
Regence Corner Cabinet
Located in Vista, CA
Regence period corner cabinet, circa 1720-1740. Small repair in molding on corner (see picture)
Wood, Paint
Ettore Sottsass Cantone Corner Shelving / Tables, See Photos!
By Zanotta, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Kansas City, MO
Corner shelf / bookcase / tables designed by Ettore Sottsass for Zanotta, Italy, 1981. The shelves retain the original "Bacterio" laminate designed by Sottsass in 1978. The legs are ...
Silver Plate, Brass