Paolo Buffa Panelled Four-Door Cabinet in Mahogany and Walnut, Italy, 1950s
View Similar Items
Paolo Buffa Panelled Four-Door Cabinet in Mahogany and Walnut, Italy, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:La Permanente Mobili Cantù (Manufacturer),Paolo Buffa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 55.12 in (140 cm)Width: 77.17 in (196 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Early 1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:The Hague, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1803314916281
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.
- Paolo Buffa Attributed Sideboard in Walnut and Brass, Serafino Arrighi, 1940sBy Serafino Arrighi, Paolo BuffaLocated in The Hague, NLThis exceptional sideboard was produced by the company Serafino Arrighi in Cantù, Italy in the late 1940s. The design is attributed to Paolo Buffa, who worked with Serafino Arrighi f...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBrass
- Paolo Buffa Buffet / Sideboard in Walnut and Brass, Mario Quarti, Milan, 1940sBy Mario Quarti, Paolo BuffaLocated in The Hague, NLThis exceptional counter-buffet / sideboard was designed by Paolo Buffa and produced by Mario Quarti in Milan, Italy, in the 1940s. The sideboard stands on four grooved, turned twis...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBrass
- Josef Frank 'Gustav V' Cabinet in Rosewood, Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950sBy Josef Frank, Svenskt TennLocated in The Hague, NLThis elegant rosewood cabinet was designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn in the late 1930's. In the Svensk Tenn archive's furniture book, Estrid Ericson (the founder of Svenskt Tenn) has made a pencil sketch of the cabinet and written "designed for the King", Gustaf V, likely for his 80th birthday in 1938. So this particular model 792 also became known as the Gustav V model. The rare cabinet on offer here was produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden in the early 1950s. The model was usually produced in pyramid mahogany, only a few pieces were made in rosewood. The cabinet has double doors, veneered in mirorred rosewood, with a solid oak interior with a total of 10 pull-out drawers. Brass key and round brass door hinges...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Cabinets
MaterialsOak, Rosewood, Wood
- Ulf Ekdahl Cabinet in Solid Pine Wood and Brass, Nybro, Sweden, 1979Located in The Hague, NLThis striking cabinet was designed and produced by Ulf Ekdahl in Nybro, Sweden in 1979. The design is marked by the double doors, each panelled with eight ...Category
Vintage 1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Gio Ponti Round Dining Table in Mahogany and Thuja Burr, Italy, Early 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in The Hague, NLThis round dining table was designed by Gio Ponti and manufactured in Italy in the early 1950s. The sculptural frame is executed in solid mahogany and consists of a cross base with 4...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsBurl, Wood, Mahogany
- Carl-Axel Acking Attributed Cabinet in Elm, Oak and Brass, SMF Bodafors, 1940sBy SMF Svenska Möbelfabriken Bodafors, Carl-Axel AckingLocated in The Hague, NLThis very rare cabinet was produced by AB Svenska Möbelfabrikerna in Bodafors, Sweden in the late 1940s. The striking design is attributed to Carl-Axel Acking, one of the leading des...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Paolo Buffa Bar Cabinet, Italy, 1950s-1960sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in New York, NYPaolo Buffa bar cabinet with gold star detailing. Incredible cabinet in perfect condition. This is a rare piece and not many of this model were made.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany
- Elegant Italian Cabinet Bookcase Attributed to Paolo Buffa, 1950sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Rome, ITA fine Italian bookcase cabinet with brass finishes in excellent vintage condition. attributed to Paolo Buffa, 1950s.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany
- Elegant Italian Cabinet Bookcase Attributed to Paolo Buffa, 1950sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Rome, ITA fine Italian Bookcase Cabinet with brass finishes in excellent vintage condition. attributed to Paolo Buffa, 1950s.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany
- Italian Modern Cabinet With Interesting Brass Hardware, Paolo Buffa AttributedBy Ico Parisi, Vittorio Dassi, Paolo Buffa, Gio Ponti, La Permanente Mobili CantùLocated in Houston, TXItalian Modern Cabinet With Interesting Brass Hardware, Paolo Buffa Attributed Italian midcentury cabinet, bar or credenza from Mila...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Paolo Buffa: Imposing Four-Door Cabinet in Walnut and Polished Brass, Italy 1950By Paolo BuffaLocated in New York, NYPaolo Buffa (1903 - 1970) A large and imposing sideboard by Milanese architect and designer Paolo Buffa, in walnut with round mirror-polished brass handles. The buffet's long, rect...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsBrass
- Mahogany and Sycomore Bar Cabinet by Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Montreal, QCMahogany and Sycomore Bar Cabinet by Paolo Buffa decorated with fencing scenes. Interior fitted with four movable shelves Italy: circa 1950 Provenance: Blackman Cruz...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany