Studio BBPR for Olivetti 'Spazio' Desk with Original Lamp

Studio BBPR for Olivetti, 'Spazio' corner/writing desk, coated steel, plastic, vinyl, Italy, design 1959/60, production 1960s. In 1954, Olivetti, the Italian office equipment manufacturer, hired BBPR to design their New York showroom on Fifth Avenue and to create their first series of office furniture, called Spazio (1959/60). This line included chairs, shelving, cabinet systems, and desks, just like the one shown here. This ingenious design embraces a dynamic system, affording the ability to adjust the cabinet's positioning. Beneath the desk lies a compartment housing three drawers, while the mobile cabinet itself features three drawers alongside an extra compartment, providing both utility and versatility. The original lamp is affixed to the top that can be moved sideways. The tops are furnished with a burgundy red vinyl which adds a fresh touch the overall industrial appearance. The design won the Compasso d'Oro Award in 1962. Studio B.B.P.R. was an Italian architectural partnership founded in Milan in 1932 by Gianluigi Banfi (1910-1945), Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso (1909-2004), Enrico Peressutti (1908-1976) and Ernesto Nathan Rogers (1909-1969) who had studied at the Politecnico di Milano. B.B.P.R. was thus an acronym formed from the first letters of their family names. The architects found each other in their opposition to fascism in Italy in the 1930s and 1940s during Mussolini's autocratic regime. The architects therefore believed in developing a style that would have no references to contemporary politics. During the Second World War, they all joined the resistance. However, Rogers, a Jew, fled to Switzerland and both Belgiojoso and Banfi were deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, where Banfi died in 1945. Despite the immense loss of Banfi, their architectural practice continued in the same name as before after...

Studio BBPR for Olivetti, 'Spazio' writing desks, coated steel, plastic, vinyl, Italy, design 1959/60, production 1960s In 1954, Olivetti, the Italian office equipment manufactur...

Studio BBPR for Olivetti, 'Spazio' writing desks, coated steel, plastic, vinyl, Italy, design 1959/60, production 1960s In 1954, Olivetti, the Italian office equipment manufacturer...

Studio B.B.P.R. for Olivetti, 'Spazio' desk with drawers, metal, vinyl, plastic, Italy, circa 1960 This industrial 'Spazio' desk is designed by Studio B.B.P.R. A black vinyl tablet...

Studio BBPR for Olivetti, 'Spazio' desk with drawers, steel, vinyl, plastic, Italy, design 1959/60, production 1960s In 1954, Olivetti, the Italian office equipment manufacturer, h...

Studio BBPR for Olivetti, 'Spazio' table, coated steel, plastic, vinyl, Italy, 1960s. In 1954, Olivetti, the Italian office equipment manufacturer, hir...

Large 'Spazio' table or desk with a top covered in green vinyl, resting on a gray and black metal base. The feet end with black circular tips. Studio BBPR model for Olivetti, in the...

Desk by Studio BBPR for Olivetti.

desk and his lamp by BBPR for Olivetti Synthesis, circa 1960 The keys are present, some scratches on the board.

Desk made of enameled metal and top made of laminated material.

Rare desk set by BBPR for Olivetti Synthesis, including a desk, a storage unit, an office chair, a lamp and a wastepaper basket storage unit: 76 x ...

Mid-Century Modern Desk by Studio BBPR for Olivetti