Italian mid-century modern black folding chair Tric Castiglioni Bonacina, 1960s

Milanese industrial designer-architects Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1918–2002; 1913-68) created some of the most iconic furniture designs in the world, particularly those that originated in the realm of mid-century modern lighting. 

In the late 1930s, after graduating from the acclaimed Polytechnic University of Milan, Pier Giacomo opened a design studio with his brother Livio and likeminded architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni. Achille, also a graduate of Milan Polytechnic, joined the group after completing his studies in 1944. The era’s architects were encountering difficulty in their attempts to secure building commissions, so the group focused on designing practical everyday objects such as the Model 547, a tabletop radio for Phonola that was encased in Bakelite. 

The Castiglioni brothers produced wildly popular and innovative designs throughout the 20th century. While Livio departed the practice in 1952 to pursue lighting design and sound technology on his own, Pier Giacomo and Achille would continue to collaborate on a wealth of projects in the ensuing years. 

Vintage furniture collectors may be familiar with Livio and Italian designer Gianfranco Frattini’s serpent-like Boalum lamp, while Achille’s Taraxacum hanging lamp — created for FLOS with sprayed plastic polymers originally intended for military use — as well as the Arco, Snoopy and Toio lamps, which were the result of the collaboration between Pier Giacomo and Achille, are milestones in modernist lighting design. 

Also for FLOS, Pier Giacomo and Achille created a series of metal frames that, wrapped in the polymer, became floor lamps (Gatto) or pendant lights (Viscontea and Taraxacum), all released in 1960. The Gatto floor lamp takes its name from the Italian word for “cat” and the inspiration for its aesthetic from lighting that George Nelson developed for legendary American furniture manufacturer Howard Miller during the 1940s. Around the same time, the designer Tobia Scarpa (son of the famed Italian architect Carlo Scarpa and one-half of the widely revered postmodern husband-and-wife design duo Afra and Tobia Scarpa) created a floor lamp called Fantasma (1961) using the polymers technique. FLOS continues to make the Castiglionis’ innovative pieces today.

In addition to their provocative lighting works, Pier Giacomo and Achille also created stereo systems, decorative objects, seating, tables and other items for the likes of Brionvega, Alessi, Zanotta, Kartell and more.

Find vintage Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni floor lamps, table lamps, pendants, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.

For more than 130 years, Italian furniture producer Bonacina has fostered the fine art of rattan weaving. The company’s vast collection of alluring furniture pieces was developed under four generations of the Bonacina family. Bonacina is now leading a rattan resurgence with its line of beautiful and stylish chairs, including lounge chairs and armchairs.

Bonacina was founded in 1889 by Giovanni Bonacina in the renowned Italian furniture-making region of Brianza. He drew on the area’s history of basketry, using local cane and reed, in addition to Southeast Asian rattan, to weave furniture. Every piece of Bonacina furniture was and continues to be handmade.

In the 1950s, the company passed to Giovanni’s son, Vittorio Bonacina. Vittorio had a finger on the pulse of modern furniture design and moved Bonacina forward through collaborations with acclaimed mid-century creators like Gio Ponti, Renzo Mongiardino, Gae Aulenti, Joe Colombo and Franco Albini. Albini’s Margherita chair endures as one of Bonacina’s most iconic designs.

Vittorio’s son, Mario Bonacina, helmed the company in the 1980s. Mario embarked on a project to release updated versions of some of Bonacina’s historical pieces. He continued working with modern designers and encouraged a company ethos of environmental sustainability.

Mario’s son, Elia Bonacina, joined the company in 2012. In 2013, Elia designed the Eris rattan lighting fixture, bringing a fresh perspective to the company's catalogue. In 2015, he acquired the Italian furniture brand Pierantonio Bonacina, which was started by another Bonacina family branch, and established a joint venture named Bonacina1889 s.r.l.

Bonacina’s exceptional designs have earned the company accolades at international exhibitions, including top prizes at the Triennale Milano and multiple Compasso d’Oro awards. Today, Bonacina retains the use of traditional materials and techniques while looking to the future. Most recently, it expanded into the outdoor furniture market.

On 1stDibs, find Bonacina seating, garden furniture, wall mirrors and more.