Dry Bar Console by Willy Rizzo in Chrome and Lacquered wood, 1970s
View Similar Items
Dry Bar Console by Willy Rizzo in Chrome and Lacquered wood, 1970s
About the Item
- Creator:Willy Rizzo (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.14 in (74 cm)Width: 47.25 in (120 cm)Depth: 14.97 in (38 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:amstelveen, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5790235083232
Willy Rizzo
Renowned Italian furniture designer Willy Rizzo is celebrated for having produced eye-catching, sensational showpieces that merged plush fabrics with wood, metal and glass. Influenced by European modernists and drawing on the spare forms and clean lines of the American mid-century modern style, Rizzo prized functionality and simplicity in his dazzling work.
Born in Naples, Rizzo never intended on designing furniture. Instead, he began pursuing photography at the age of 12. By the 1960s, he had become a notable photographer, having captured images of such celebrities as Marilyn Monroe, Fred Astaire and Spanish artist Salvador Dalí. His experience with furniture design came about inadvertently when he moved to Rome in 1966. There, Rizzo rented an apartment with his wife Elsa that he described as "practically uninhabitable." Dissatisfied with the Scandinavian furniture options on offer, Rizzo built sofas, coffee tables and other furniture to suit the space's strong modern vibe. When his friends saw what he had accomplished, they were enamored by his furniture creations and commissioned him to build similar items for them.
The demand for Rizzo’s furniture grew from there. He established a production facility and workshop in Tivoli, just outside of Rome, which grew to house over 150 employees. There, finding inspiration in the work of iconic architects including Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, he created more than 30 unique furniture designs. Over the years he opened boutiques around the world to showcase and sell his furniture.
Rizzo prided himself on seamlessly blending the contemporary with the classic. “It was about creating something new for a traditional setting,” he said of his work. From his sleek sideboards to his low-profile side tables, elegant chairs and entire living room sets, Rizzo's style sensibility is evident throughout every detail of his designs.
Rizzo sold his company in 1978 and returned to photography. However, the presence of his furniture resonated into the new century and is sure to impact interior décor enthusiasts into the next. Over the years, high-profile collectors of Rizzo’s work have included French actress Brigitte Bardot, Salvador Dalí and American musician Lenny Kravitz.
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Willy Rizzo tables, lighting, seating and storage pieces.
- Sideboard by Willy Rizzo for Mario Sabot, 1970sBy Willy Rizzo, Mario SabotLocated in amstelveen, NLElegant black sideboard made in black laminated wood and chromed steel edges and drawer pulls on the front. Designed by Willy Rizzo for Mario Sabot in Italy in 1974. It has two opening side doors, one center drop-down door, and three drawers. The production was limited to 2000 pieces in white, black, and brown. The middle section has a hole in the back. Because the previous owner had his audio...Category
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsLacquer
- Alveo black lacquered and chrome coffee table by Willy Rizzo for Mario SabotBy Willy Rizzo, Mario SabotLocated in amstelveen, NLCoffee table Willy Rizzo for Mario Sabot from the 1970s Made from gorgeous chrome with a black lacquered wood base. The recessed base creates the impres...Category
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBrass
- Memphis style Dry bar with geomatric burl wood art base by Carlo Malnati, 1980sBy Carlo MalnatiLocated in amstelveen, NLUnique dry bar by artist Carlo Malnati produced around the 1980’s. Several different Wood inlays, using different colored pieces to create the design. Superb Post-Modern Memphis D...Category
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
MaterialsGlass, Burl
- Alveo coffee table by Willy Rizzo for Mario Sabot, 1970sBy Willy Rizzo, Mario SabotLocated in amstelveen, NLExclusive and very rare brass edition coffee table Willy Rizzo for Mario Sabot from the 1970s Made from gorgeous patinated Brass with a black lacquered wood base. The recessed base ...Category
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBrass
- Coffee Table with Dry Bar by Massimo Papiri for Mario Sabot, 1970sBy Massimo Papiri, Mario SabotLocated in amstelveen, NLMassimo Papiri for Mario Sabot, coffee table and dry bar, chrome, plexiglass, wood, Italy, 1970s. This iconic cocktail table is designed by Massimo Papiri and is called Harry's bar....Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Set of 2 Chalice shaped planters by Willy Guhl, 1970sBy Willy GuhlLocated in amstelveen, NLA unique set of 2 concrete planters by Swiss architect Willy Guhl. Planter in the shape of a chalice. Signed 1972. This shape is not common and hard to find. Great patina. Would m...Category
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsConcrete
- Willy Rizzo Dry Bar Set, Italy, 1970sBy Willy RizzoLocated in Brussels, BEBar with two pouf by Willy Rizzo. It had been made during the 1970s.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
MaterialsChrome
- Willy Rizzo Midcentury Cubic Chromed Steel, Wood and Glass Dry Bar, Italy 1970sBy Willy RizzoLocated in Roma, ITUnique midcentury cubic dry bar in lacquered ash wood, mirrored steel and glass dry bar with hidden wheels. Willy Rizzo probably produced this incredible piece of barware in Italy during the 1970s. The wheeled bar cart's four sides are in mirrored chromed steel, while the top is in dark smoked glass. It moves thanks to four hidden wheels, and the structure is veneered black lacquered oak. A design masterpiece that will become a cult furniture element in a midcentury bar or living room. Italian designer and photographer Willy Rizzo (1928-2013) first came to prominence in the 1960s as both a chronicler of and participant in La Dolce Vita, the glamorous, jet set lifestyle enjoyed by many international celebrities and socialites in the postwar era. While photography was Rizzo's first love, in the 1970s he developed a passion for interiors and launched a second successful career as a luxury furniture designer. Rizzo was born in Naples in 1928 but moved to France early. After expressing an interest in photography at the age of 12, Rizzo's mother gifted him an Agfa Box camera; soon he was shooting portraits of his classmates at Paris's Istituto Statale Italiano Leonardo Da Vinci. In the 1940s, Rizzo began his career as a photojournalist, working for several French publications, including Ciné Mondial, Point de Vue, and Image du Monde. In the aftermath of the Second World War, Rizzo notably covered the Nuremberg Trials and travelled to Tunisia for Point de Vue to photograph the conflict in North Africa, later published in Life Magazine. As his reputation grew, he was hired by France Dimanche to take portraits of the rich and famous at flashy events like the Cannes Film Festival. Rizzo's charm won the trust of royalty, dignitaries, and movie stars, allowing him to capture these public figures in unusually candid moments. Hoping to advance his career further, Rizzo travelled to New York with Black Star Agency in 1947 to photograph American starlets. When he returned to Paris two years later, he was invited to join Jean Prouvost’s newest publication in colour, Paris Match, as head photographer—a position that he held for 20 years and, along the way, sparked a new culture of celebrity photographers who were as intriguing and fashionable as their subjects. In 1959, he became the artistic director of Marie Claire and collaborated with other fashion magazines, such as Vogue. Throughout his career, Rizzo photographed dozens of stars, including Brigitte Bardot, Maria Callas, Salvador Dalí, Marlene Dietrich, Jane Fonda, Gene Kelly, and Gregory Peck, as well as striking up close friendships with famous personalities like Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, and Jack Nicholson. In 1962, Rizzo famously captured some of the last moments of Marilyn Monroe’s life on film before tragically committing suicide a few weeks later. In 1968, Rizzo married Italian actress Elsa Martinelli, and the pair relocated to Rome. It was here that Rizzo began his work in furniture design, starting with his newly-leased, run-down Roman apartment. Just for personal use (at first), Rizzo created a series one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by modernist icons, such as Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. But as his glitterati friends—Rodolfo Parisi, Gigli Rizzi, Franco Rapetti, Salvador Dalí, Brigitte Bardot, and the like—became admirers of his work, Rizzo was flooded with design commissions. Rizzo went on to furnish apartments for Italian aristocracy in the Palazzo Borghese and Palazzo Ruspoli that same year and quickly earned an international reputation as a designer to the rich and famous. In response to ever-growing demand, he launched his own Tivoli-based company dedicated to contemporary furniture design handmade in lux materials such as wood, marble, stainless steel, brass, and wild boar. Over time, his team of eight grew to 150, and he was able to open shops in France and throughout Europe, as well as in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. With an emphasis on clean lines and geometric forms, Rizzo's tables, chairs, and accessories combined contemporary shapes with traditional materials—in contrast to many of his contemporaries, like Ettore Sottsass and Vico Magistretti, who were popularizing plastic, foam, and other synthetics in furniture production. Rizzo's most successful designs are many low, box-like tables in granite, metal, glass, or burled wood, often embellished with brass or chrome accents or built-in liquor cabinets or trays. Two examples of his most celebrated designs include the Alveo Coffee Table (1970s) for Mario Sabot and the circular Yin Yang Coffee Table...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsSteel, Metal, Chrome
- Hollywood Regency Illuminated Dry Bar in the Style of Willy Rizzo, Italy 1970sBy Willy RizzoLocated in Roma, ITMagnificent Hollywood Regency style dry bar in chrome-plated steel, brass, glass, mirror, suede and woven rattan wicker. This incredibly rare version of the iconic dry bar designed ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
MaterialsSteel, Metal, Chrome
- Dry Bar italiano in cromo e ottone attribuito a Willy Rizzo 1970-80By Willy RizzoLocated in Palermo, ITQuesto cocktail bar è stato attribuito a Willy Rizzo negli anni Settanta. I suoi design di cocktail e bar sono tra i suoi oggetti più prolifici e quindi più ricercati. Questo partico...Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
MaterialsBrass, Chrome
- StunningItalian Cocktail Dry Bar Cabinet in the style of Willy Rizzo – 1970By Willy RizzoLocated in Pijnacker, Zuid-HollandStunning 1970's Italian cocktail dry bar in Ebonized wood and Brown teddy fabric covering. The bar is designed by or in the style of Willy Rizzo. It features beautiful brown pluche t...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
MaterialsChrome
- Willy Rizzo Style Expendable Steel Chrome Bar Console Table Black Glass Italy 70By Willy RizzoLocated in Miami, FLVery elegant bar console table Willy Rizzo Style made in Italy, circa 1970s. Sturdy black powder coated steel frame with brushed steel bar frame & polished Chrome compartment. Blac...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsChrome, Steel