Italian Deco Design really Catching on.............

Pair of Italian Deco Chairs by Ulrich

We started to carry Deco pieces by known designers before people became aware of how great these pieces really were.  We found our job was to try to educate.  In the mean time while trying to educate, I have educated myself as well.  Two years ago, I would have said Gio Ponti ,Who?  Now I find his name flowing freely from off my tongue.  I can speak of Osvaldo Borsani, Paolo Buffa, and Guglielmo Ulrich fondly as if they were old friends, and in away they are.

Chandelier Gio Ponti

We are able to bring them somewhat alive by having their beautifully designed and well executed pieces in our shop and on line.  Being so close to their works makes you fond of the men themselves.  Most if not all of these men were architects like our own Frank Lloyd Wright, who were on the cutting edge of architectural Design.

Large wall cabinet by Osvaldo Borsani

They had a problem.  Their work was clean, with plane lines totally different than the more elaborate designs of prior years as a result, there was not any furniture appropriate for their buildings.  The answer was design what you need yourself.  Gio Ponti designed the furniture for whole hotels.  Frank Lloyd Wright was rightfully picky about how his buildings were furnished.

Frank Lloyd Wright Dining table

Italian Designer Furniture

Lewis keeps getting better and better pieces of furniture.  He has a fondness for the really good Italian Designers of the Deco Period.  Paolo Buffa, Gio Ponti, and Oswaldo Borsani.  The Italians are taking over the shop.  What an elegant take over.  I am completely won over.  The designs are clean but imaginative.  The use of woods inventive.

We have a console by Gio Ponti that has an early laminate top in aqua that was made for the Hotel Parco dei Principi.  The console shown above is not as long as the one we acquired. It went through Wright Auction. 

Italian Deco Bar 1930's

We now have three Italian Deco Bars.  One by Paolo Buffa with framed Italian engravings that look to be from the 17th century, and an interior mirrored with stars. We already had an Italian Deco Bar from the 1940's that was a show stopper in design.  The third bar is plainer in design similar to some of  Jean Royere's designs.  All in all they are a pretty handsome trio.

Gio Ponti Console for Hotel Parco dei Principi

We are looking forward to the pieces that he is picking up by Osvaldo Borsani.  I'll blog more about them at a later date.

Vico Magstretti

Vico Magstretti 1920-2006

We just got in a huge 64 1/2 inch square dinning table with a composite top by Vico Magstretti.  A Renaissance Designer out of Italy.

Photo from "Domus" of the same Magstretti table that we acquired

There was the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century of the arts, but truly when you consider the achievements of the Architects and Designers of the 20th century there seems to have been another Renaissance going on through out the world.  Architects like Gio Pointi, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Giovanni Michelucci,  Mies van der Rohe, and Walter Gropius all were multi-talented men that excelled in their work in many mediums.

Carimate Chair by Vico Magstretti

Modernism was taking off, and people were enthused with the idea of change. Ideas took flight and one great concept led to another multipling.  A great change was taking place, and these men were in the midst of a new wave of change, and they were aware of what was occurring.  They wanted to design cities and completely new life styles.

Frank Lloyd Wright Dinning Table by Henridon

Frank Lloyd Wright wanted to design not only his home and industrial buildings but every thing in these buildings.  We have a Dinning table that he designed.  Vico Magistretti, an Architect, who designed our table and other pieces of furniture to go into his buildings.  He even designed glass pieces working with Vistosi.  His glass globe sconces are simple and beautiful.  He believed in conceptual design working on pieces that would lend themselves to his interiors, with a clean and elegant designs nothing fussy.

connect the dots

There definitely is a connection between the emergence of modern architecture and the concept of modern furniture. If you designed a building using new concepts and simple lines, what kind of furniture would go in a building like this? The answer would be either to consult with furniture designers or more simply design pieces to fit into your own buildings. This is what Gio Ponti did. Frank Lloyd Wright designed furniture to go into his homes he designed.
Frankl trained as an architect and was so influenced by the emergence of the sky scrapers that he designed furniture inspired by them. As a result designers began designing furniture with the new architecture in mind.

Who was Gio Ponti?

Pirelli Tower designed by Gio Ponti.



It's about time that I get back on track. We started this Blog to talk about and to learn about great designers of furniture, of the 20th century. I've been skipping about and side tracked about antiquing which is always a great distraction. What is more fun than going on the hunt, and spending money.
Gio Ponti, 1891-1979, a Italian Architect and Designer was a singular driving force in the development of modern design. Gio Ponti was the renaissance man of the 20th century. He designed skyscrapers and he painted frescoes, design china for Richard Ginori.

He published and edited "Domus" an Italian home magazine, where he show cased works by Fornasetti. He designed glass for Venini.
He designed The Billia lamp that looks modern, but was designed in 1932.

The Chairs were designed for an Italian Hotel by Gio Ponti.

http://www.1stdibs.com/furniture_item_detail.php?id=188652http://1stdibs.com/furniture_item_detail.php?id=375759

Pieces of furniture that he designed influence most of the modern 20th century furniture designers

Piero Fornasetti

Lewis has given me the joyful task of discussing Fornasetti. He was born and lived most of his life in Milan Italy. He spent 2 years at an Art Academy there but was expelled for insubordination. I knew I liked that man! Creative people rarely fit into molds. His greatist inspiration was the face of the operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri, which he had found in a nineteenth century magazine. Over the years he drew over 500 images using her face. When asked why he continued to do so, he said that he really didn't know why that he had started doing so and had never stopped. It was the ultimate variation on a theme.

He had several shops where he made his wonderous masterpieces many were tromp l'oeils. Fornasetti's work was enhanced by his working relationship with Gio Ponti. He made wall paper, china, furniture, obelisk, mirrors etc.. His subjects included celestial beings, buildings and meaningful objects such as keys, watches, clocks. His furniture was often hidden behind a city scape or faux malachite. Some pieces looked like bookcases loaded with faux books and shelves. He let his imagination go wild and created some of the most magical pieces imaginable. To learn more about Fornasetti I can recommend the book, "Fornasetti, Conversation with Philippe Stark", by Brigitte Fitoussi.