1930s Primitive Belgian Bench

A finely crafted two-seat bench by Gareth Neale and Kevin Gauld, titled ‘Brodgar’, made circa 2012. This piece draws inspiration from traditional Orkney furniture, with a hand-woven ...

A charming primitive French wooden stool, dating to the 1940s, with a wonderfully honest and rustic character. Crafted from solid wood with a timeworn patina, this piece reflects the...

Italian mid-century cabinet made by Paolo Buffa in cherry wood, circa 1930s. Dimension: W102 x D40 x H153 cm.  

A beautifully proportioned ‘Odeon’ chest of drawers by Heals & Sons, crafted in solid English oak, c.1930s. This piece features the clean lines, subtle detailing, and honest construc...

A long primitive style bench. Ideal as an end of bed or hallway bench. Belgium, c1930s. Wabi-sabi imperfections add character to a modern or antique environment. Formed from ...

A long primitive style bench. Ideal as an end of bed or hallway bench. Belgium, c1930s. Wabi-sabi imperfections add character to a modern or antique environment. Formed from ...

This 1930s Italian bench is so over-scaled, and monumental in appearance, that it seems to have been made for the large room it was destined, rather than the comfort of a typical sitter. As such, it would function equally well as a low side table or a high cocktail table. We’ll allow the buyer to determine its use. The designer was Pierluigi Colli, and the fabricator Martinotti, the Turin furniture and interior decorating firm that was established in 1831, and exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition and the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair. Colli’s family owned a textile company that supplied Martinotti with upholstery fabrics, suggesting nepotism had something to do with his being hired as the firm's director in 1926. Nevertheless, he proved himself worthy as a designer and a businessman. Having studied in Paris at the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs, he befriended leading French designers, and arranged for Martinotti to retail Lalique glass and Jean Perzel lighting. In addition, the quality of their work, and Colli’s dedication to the modern design movement, prompted Carlo Mollino, Gio Ponti, and Gino Levi-Montalcini, among others, to have Martinotti fabricate some of their furniture. Colli’s claim to fame, however, is his own work as a designer, and his ability to master the vocabularies of every trend from Art Deco to midcentury modern. During the Great Depression, when nearly every nation floundered economically, fascist Italy...

It is a solid wooden bench that makes you feel Japanese wabi-sabi. It's made of driftwood, but you can also sit down. It is also beautiful as an...