Paolo Buffa, Set of Six Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Paolo Buffa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.44 in (90 cm)Width: 18.51 in (47 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Firenze, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9510237449762
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Dining table from the school of Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Firenze, ITEbonized oak dining table, early 1940s, recalls in design and form the style of Paolo Buffa.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood, Oak
- 6 chairs, Italian manufacture, 1950sLocated in Firenze, ITSet of 6 chairs made of oak wood and upholstered in black scai, Italian manufacture, late 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood, Oak
- Set of Four Chairs, Italian ProductionLocated in Firenze, ITSet of Four Chairs, Italian Production Four Italian-made chairs, the frame consists of four oak veneer wood panels that fit together perpendicularly, there are two characteristic hol...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Side Chairs
MaterialsWood, Oak
- Tavolo Orrido Canyon, Paolo Pallucco e Mireille Rivier, 1987By Pallucco, Paolo Pallucco & Mireille RivierLocated in Firenze, ITRarissimo tavolo Orrido Canyon, disegnato da Paolo Pallucco e Mireille Rivier, prodotto da Pallucco nel 1987. Rara edizione in metallo laccato argento e con un piano di vetro di cm 140Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Piero Fornasetti, Set di due scatole da fumoBy Piero FornasettiLocated in Firenze, ITPiero Fornasetti, Set di due scatole da fumo Scatole in metallo smaltato e legno disegnate da Piero Fornasetti Anni 50 Il set è composto da una scatola porta sigari e una scatola ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Set di due abat-jour anni 50, Manifattura italianaLocated in Firenze, ITSet di due abat-jour anni 50, Manifattura italiana Set di due lampade da comodino di produzione italiana. Realizzate negli anni 50. Hanno una base modanata in ottone e dei cartocci ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Rare Set of Six Paolo Buffa Dining Chairs, Italy 1940sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Lambertville, NJA rare Italian design by Paolo Buffa, made in the early 1940's referred as a modern design work. The piece evokes in significant ways the iconic style of Buffa with its scallop carve...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Wood
- Set of 6 Dining Chairs by Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in New York, NYTeak, velvet fabric. Price includes full restoration of all 6 chairs and upholstering in fabric supplied by the buyer.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Velvet, Teak
- Paolo Buffa Set of Six Midcentury Oak and Rush Dining Chairs, 1940sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Madrid, ESA rare set of six dining chairs, designed by Paolo Buffain the 1940s. Typical details for Buffa craftsmanship, including the decorative bow shaped and scalloped patterns on the back rests the carved ring pattern on the front legs and the carved finials and front seat.The smart silhouette of the oak frames is completed by the curved line of the rear legs. The rush has been professional rewoven and loks beautiful. Buffa's designs are original, beautifully executed and highly refined, combining the neoclassical with functional and modern lines..Executed in only the most valuable materials, his designs are infused with Lombardy's woodworking traditions.That makes his pieces an authentic piece author design and highly collectable. Condition: Excellent.The oak frames have been carefully restored. The rush seats are professionally rewoven and look very elegant. Bibliography. The chairs have been documented in the following bibliography:Roberto Rizzi I Mobili di Paolo Buffa, Cantú 2001, page 34. Giuglielmo Ulrich, Arredamento Mobili e Oggetti de'Arte Decorative, Edizioni Gorlich Milan 1945, figure 56. Cesare Saracchi, Mobili imbottiti Poltrone Salotti e tessutiPer l'Arredamento Gorlich Milan 1947, figure 86.Irene de Guttri and Maria Paolo Maino, Il mobili Deco...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRush, Oak
- Set of six 1950s dining room chairs in the style of Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Premariacco, ITElegant set of rosewood dining room chairs from the 1950s designed based on Paolo Buffa's design, high quality Italian production. The chairs feature machining in the center back an...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Set of Four Paolo Buffa Highback Chiavari Dining ChairsBy Paolo Buffa, ChiavariLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Italy Designer: Paolo Buffa Manufacturer: Chiavari Era: 1960s Materials: Mahogany Measurements: 18? wide x 17? deep x 52.5? tall Seat: 19? tall Condition: In excelle...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMahogany
- Paolo Buffa, set of four splendid high back chairsBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Milano, ITCOD-Z23 Paolo Buffa (1903-1970) Set of four splendid high back chairs in light wood with original straw seat in very good condition. Italy, 1940'sCategory
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood
