Design duo Garouste and Bonetti is best known for concocting Surrealist, avant-garde, romantic furniture and lighting that merge whimsy and wonder with luxury and sophistication.
Born in Paris in 1946, Élizabeth Garouste studied interior design at the École Camondo and worked as a theater set designer before meeting Mattia Bonetti in the late 1970s. Bonetti, born in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1952, attended Lugano’s Centro Scolastico per L’Industria Artistica, where he studied textile design and got into photography.
Their first collaboration came in 1981, after Garouste’s husband, interior designer Gérard Garouste, asked them both to produce designs for the Paris restaurant Le Privilège. They devised a collection of Art Brut–inspired furniture called Barbare, which debuted at the Jansen House of Interior Design, earning them the nickname Les Nouveaux Barbares (the New Barbarians).
Garouste and Bonetti achieved international acclaim in 1987 when French couturier Christian Lacroix hired them to design for his maisons de couture in Paris and London. Instead of the staid decor used by other haute couture houses, Garouste and Bonetti’s furnishings were rebellious and daring. As described in Architectural Digest, “rooms and carpets were acrid ochers, edged with black baroque swirls Louis XVI-inspired chairs upholstered in fruit tones. Tree stump stools topped with ivory tufted cushions. White curtains were trimmed with black polka dots the size of pancakes.”
Following their success with Lacroix, Garouste and Bonetti designed interiors for illustrious clients such as German socialite Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis and Bernard Picasso, a French art collector and grandson of Pablo Picasso.
Throughout the late 1980s and ’90s, Garouste and Bonetti designed several modern pieces such as rainbow-colored console tables, the wavy, high-backed Koala sofa, ceramic tableware, table lamps and decorative objects. In 2002, the duo parted ways.
Bonetti continues to create furniture, finding inspiration in everything from ancient Greece to children’s toys to UFOs. His works have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Garouste also continues to design and is inspired by the natural world for her “quirky pieces,” Élisabeth Delacarte, owner of the Paris gallery Avant-Scène, says of her designs: “You feel like you’re in a dream rather than in reality. She very much has her own universe.”
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Garouste and Bonetti tables, seating and serveware.
"Eccentrico" Table by Angelo Mangiarotti
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Paris, FR
A spectacular cantilevered table with gravity joint made by the famous architect Angelo Mangiarotti. An elegant mix of minimalism and stone textures.
Marble
"3 Cactus" side table by Victor Roman
By Victor Roman
Located in Paris, FR
Pedestal table with surrealist shapes. Composed by a bronze leg with a surrealist ornamentation mounted by a white marble circular plate. Model signed and numbered. Limited edition of 8 + 4 AP of a model created in the 1970's by the sculptor Victor Roman. Victor Roman was born in 1937 in Martinis in Romania. In 1950, he leaves his village to to go high-school in Tirgu-Mures. He then studies at the Fine Arts Institute Nicolae Grigorescu...
Marble, Bronze
"Gerbe" table
By Maria Pergay
Located in Paris, FR
Maria Pergay’s "Gerbe" oval center table was designed in the late 1960s, and embodies the boldness that made her a key figure of French design. A pioneer in the use of stainless stee...
Stainless Steel
Rare 1970s Bronze Center Table, “Araignée” table by Victor Roman
By Victor Roman
Located in Paris, FR
This striking “Araignée” side table by Victor Roman exemplifies the sculptor’s singular language, where architecture and sculpture merge into functional form. Cast in bronze with a b...
Bronze
1970s Central Table from the Incas Series by Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Paris, FR
A rare and important central table from the "Aztèques" series. Circa 1978 Angelo Mangiarotti’s work as an architect and industrial designer was led by a belief that carefully res...
Sandstone
1970 "Araignée" surrealist bronze table by Victor Roman
By Victor Roman
Located in Paris, FR
Cast bronze table with surrealist shapes. Model signed and numbered. Limited edition of 8 + 4 AP of a model created in the 1970's by the sculptor Victor Roman. Victor Roman was born in 1937 in Martinis in Romania. In 1950, he leaves his village to to go high-school in Tirgu-Mures. He then studies at the Fine Arts Institute Nicolae Grigorescu...
Bronze
Small Untitled Side Table by Henry D'ath
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Untitled Side Table by Henry D'ath Dimensions: D 50 x W 50 x H 55 cm Materials: Wood. Available finishes: Black ink. Carved by hand from a ...
Wood
Pointe Side Table by Tatjana von Stein, France
By Tatjana von Stein
Located in London, GB
MISE EN SCÈNE. Designed in England. Made in France. *Our items are customisable in finish and size. Made to order pieces. Each piece is numbered, signed and comes with a certificat...
Metal, Stainless Steel
Extraordinary side table by Elizabeth Garouste + Mattia Bonetti, 1992
By Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti
Located in Berlin, DE
Side table, hickory (North American walnut), ash, hazelnut wood, steel Design / Elizabeth Garouste + Mattia Bonetti 1992 ISBA Collection Dimensions / H.58cm ø 59cm +++ Designer Mattia Bonetti was born in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1952 and trained at the Centro Scolastico per l'Industria Artistica in Lugano. He moved to Paris in 1973 and began working as a photographer and textile designer before starting to focus on furniture and interior design in 1989. Since then, he has designed limited editions, unique pieces and a selection of industrial products for private and public environments in France and abroad. His works are characterised by a fantastic and dramatic nature and always begin with a freehand sketch. They are then realised by craftsmen with whom Bonetti has worked for decades. The designer's most notable projects include liturgical furniture for the Metz Saint-Etienne Cathedral in France (2007), furniture for the decorator Jacques Grange for the Mark Hotel...
Steel
Italian Moderne Side Table
Located in New York, NY
Italian gilt side table with smoked glass color top, circa 1960s. Measurements: Height 31" Diameter 16".
Les Savoyards Table by Mélissa Mariller
Located in Geneve, CH
Les Savoyards Table by Mélissa Mariller Dimensions: D 35 x W 45 x H 40 cm. Materials: Aluminum. Three different tabletop variations are available. Please contact us. Inspired by re...
Aluminum
Large Untitled Side Table by Henry D'ath
Located in Geneve, CH
Large Untitled Side Table by Henry D'ath Dimensions: D 70 x W 70 x H 70 cm Materials: Wood. Available finishes: Black ink. Henry d’ath is a New ...
Wood
