Desk Design Schirolli, 1940
View Similar Items
Desk Design Schirolli, 1940
About the Item
- Creator:Paolo Buffa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 63 in (160 cm)Depth: 26.78 in (68 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1948
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Saint-Ouen, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU96833555692
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.
- Italian Mid-Century Executive desk designed by Osvaldo Borsani, 1940By Atelier Borsani VaredoLocated in Traversetolo, ITQuesta scrivania stupenda è stata disegnata da Osvaldo Borsani negli anni '40 del Novecento. La linea sagomata sul fronte nella parte del cassetto centrale, il retro della scrivania ...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Desks
MaterialsBrass
- 1940s Hollywood Regency DeskLocated in Tarrytown, NY1940s Hollywood Regency desk.Category
Vintage 1940s Desks
- 1940s Drop Front French DeskLocated in Dallas, TX1940s French desk with original faux leather books and key to lock and open both doors.Category
Vintage 1940s French Desks
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- Saarinen 1940's Johnson Birch DeskBy Eliel Saarinen, Johnson Furniture CompanyLocated in Phoenix, AZEliel Saarinen for Johnson desk circa 1948. This rare example executed in birch has three drawers, sculptural s shaped legs and formed aluminum pulls. It has been masterfully restore...Category
Vintage 1940s North American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsAluminum
- Scandinavian desk from the 1940sLocated in Brescia, IT1940s white desk with metal handles. Art Deco-style white desk with dark-colored metal handles. This original vintage office desk features a large work surface with slightly curved ...Category
Vintage 1940s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Desks
MaterialsWood
- Art Deco Boomerang Desk Circa 1940Located in Beuzevillette, FRExceptional modernist desk from the Art Deco period. This superb piece of furniture is reminiscent of the desk made by Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Janneret with its curved top and ...Category
20th Century French Art Deco Desks
MaterialsAsh