Paolo Buffa Armchair, Italy, 1940's
View Similar Items
Paolo Buffa Armchair, Italy, 1940's
About the Item
- Creator:Paolo Buffa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.25 in (89.54 cm)Width: 21 in (53.34 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)Seat Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU813811307133
Paolo Buffa
With a surname that loosely translates to a synonym for “bizarre” in Italian, Milanese designer and architect Paolo Buffa is best known for capturing the best of both old and new in his plush, enveloping lounge chairs and wingback chairs as well as his range of modern tables, each dazzling and provocative but built using classical techniques.
Purposely playful and airy, mid-century Italian interiors encouraged merriment and socializing. Buffa’s work was well suited to this, but unlike the postwar designers who established recognizable trademarks and signatures, his vintage furniture for Cassina and other firms — the sculptural side tables and case pieces of walnut and solid oak, the luxurious sheepskin sofas — differed considerably from one design to the next, making them appealing to a range of interior decorators and socialites with specific taste. The son of a highly sought-after artist, Giovanni Buffa, Paolo graduated in 1927 from Politecnico di Milano. He then spent time working under architects and designers Gio Ponti and Emilio Lancia. Ponti, who himself crafted thousands of furnishings and endlessly creative rooms, was so taken with the young designer that in 1928 he featured his simple and elegant rosewood dressing table in his new magazine, Domus.
After opening a firm with his regular collaborator Antonio Cassi Ramelli, Buffa became one of the leading tastemakers of Italian mid-century modern furnishings, designing for villas and residential buildings across the country. His style was a mix of Art Deco, Rationalism, neoclassicism and a bit of whimsy. He used high-quality materials and regularly worked with local ateliers known for their fine craftsmanship to produce his designs, such as Serafino Arrighi and Marelli & Colico. In 1940, he partnered with the Mario Quarti furniture studio on the royal palace of Albania’s King Zog, with Buffa designing the furniture, and in 1951, Egypt’s King Farouk enlisted him to redecorate his yacht.
While Buffa’s transcendent pieces are now collector’s items, there are a few still in production, such as those he made with Angelo Marelli. His eponymous firm, the Italian furniture producer Eredi Marelli, still manufactures some designs based on Buffa’s archives.
Find a collection of vintage Paolo Buffa furniture today on 1stDibs.
- Pair of Armchairs attributed to Paolo Buffa, Italy, 1950sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in New York, NYPair of armchairs attributed to Paolo Buffa, Italy, 1950s. $9,900.00. Pair of beautiful 1950s Paolo Buffa lounge chairs with “tusk” shaped legs. Upholstered in an off-white boucle ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Gio Ponti Armchair for Cassina, Italy, 1950sBy Cassina, Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYGio Ponti armchair manufactured by Cassina in the 1950s. In original condition with ebonized frame, green leather covering and brass feet. Condition: Good vintage condition, minor...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Large Italian Midcentury ArmchairLocated in New York, NYMidcentury lounge chair with a wide seat and slanted back. Original feet are wood but can be replaced with brass ones on request. Has been upholstered in a blue velvet for display pu...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
$2,320 Sale Price60% Off - Diminutive Italian Mid-Century ArmchairLocated in New York, NYCharming Italian Mid-Century lounge chair with soft and well designed silhouettes. The legs are wood. Was upholstered in a metallic gold leather for the 2018 Kips Bay...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
$2,376 Sale Price56% Off - Midcentury Armchairs by ISA, Italy, 1960sBy ISA BergamoLocated in New York, NYCurvaceous Mid-Century lounge chairs by ISA Bergamo with brass feet. Recovered in an off-white boucle fabric. Price for the pair-sold individually on request. Condition: Minor wear ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery
$9,500 / set - Italian Midcentury Armchairs with Brass LegsLocated in New York, NYItalian midcentury armchairs with brass legs. $6,500.00 Italian midcentury armchairs with a wide seat and tapering brass legs. Recovered in a white boucle fabric. Price for the pai...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
$6,500 / set
- Spectacular Pair of Paolo Buffa Armchairs, Italy, 1940sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Milan, ITSplendid pair of streamline Paolo Buffa armchairs, Sculpted wood parts. Ref: I mobili di Paolo Buffa p. 23.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Pair of Ladder Back Armchairs in the style of Paolo Buffa, c.1950sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in London, GBPair of Italian Paolo Buffa ladder back armchairs pleasingly proportioned on cylindrical legs and softly curved ladder backs. Italian, c.1950's. Dimensions: H118 x W70 x D62 cm. Paolo Buffa’s (1903-1970) love of the neoclassic is incorporated into sumptuous pieces of furniture, made in sweeping curves of rosewood with simple detailing. There is a perfect blend not only of mid-century pragmatism about pieces, but the centuries of traditions that came before. Working initially under Gio Ponti...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Paolo Buffa High Back Armchairs in Original Ochre Upholstery, Italy, 1940sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Milan, ITPaolo Buffa high back armchairs in original ochre upholstery, Italy 1940s.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Paolo Buffa Style Mid-Century Italian Armchair Heavenly Velvet Wood, 1940sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Palermo, SicilyPaolo Buffa style mid-cemtury Italian armchair heavenly velvet wood brown 1940s.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
$2,187 Sale Price20% Off - Pair Italian Modern Paolo Buffa Style ArmchairsBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Brooklyn, NYStylish pair of vintage modern Italian armchairs make an elegant mid-century addition to home or business lounge or salon seating. The sculptural lacquer...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
$4,800 / set - A single Italian armchair by Paolo Buffa C 1950.By Paolo BuffaLocated in Philadelphia, PAA single wingback restored Italian armchair by Paolo Buffa C 1950.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood