Bronze discs that open up like clamshells for storage and fold back in to become side tables. Sleek cubes barely suspended off the ground that transform into full-size dining tables. Clean-lined boxes that contain multilevel shelving. Looking at the work of Italian designer Gabriella Crespi, born in 1922 and who still produced furniture in her Milan studio until her death in 2017, it’s hard to believe that many of these highly functional pieces — modernist Rubik’s Cubes of materials, colors and ergonomics — were created decades ago.
Among her best-known creations, the bronze Ellisse table, 1976, and her bronze-and-lacquer Yang-Yin bar, 1979, encapsulate a designer who had a strong dualism in her vision, mixing humble and precious materials, for instance, or creating geometric shapes that were softened by sensual surfaces.
Crespi began studying architecture in 1944 at the Politecnico, in Milan, where she was among just a handful of women, and became profoundly influenced by the work of Charles-Édouard "Le Corbusier" Jeanneret and Frank Lloyd Wright. After getting married and having children, she launched her own collections, from jewelry to furniture, and soon gained a loyal following, with design houses such as Maison Dior snapping pieces up for their own lines.
She began work on her most iconic collection, Plurimi, in the late 1960s, and the series — including her Dama table, which plays on the themes of volume, light and adaptability that Crespi has explored throughout her career — flourished through the 1970s and early ’80s. Then there is her famed Z desk, from a mid-1970s series, which manages to be both stylish and humorous, looking like it’s ready to leap off the floor at any moment. Well-born and beautiful, Crespi garnered attention among the jet set. She was a muse to Valentino, and her pieces appeared in the homes of Princess Grace of Monaco, the Shah of Iran and Greek shipping magnate George Livanos.
In 1987, with her children now adults, the designer surprised everyone when she moved to the foot of the Indian Himalayas to study with the guru Sri Muniraj. This turned into a 20-year self-imposed exile that, if anything, made her pieces even more sought-after by collectors.
Find vintage Gabriella Crespi furniture on 1stDibs.
Gubi Bohemian 72 Lounge Chair in Rattan strips by Gabriella Crespi
By Gabriella Crespi, Gubi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Bohemian '72 armchair designed by Gabriella Crespi and produced 50 years later by Gubi. Bohemian '72 armchair is part of a collection of furniture made of rattan that combines the de...
Rattan, Fabric, Upholstery, Foam
Gubi Bohemian 72 Outdoor Lounge Chair in Rattan strips by Gabriella Crespi
By Gubi, Gabriella Crespi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Bohemian '72 armchair designed by Gabriella Crespi and produced 50 years later by Gubi. Bohemian '72 armchair is part of a collection of furniture made of rattan that combines the de...
Fabric, Upholstery, Rattan, Foam
GUBI Bohemian 72 Chair with The Row Towel Cushions, Two Chairs Available
By Gubi, Gabriella Crespi
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
One-of-a-Kind, New Gabriella Crespi Bohemian 72 Lounge Chairs by Gubi. With custom cushions handcrafted in The Row terry cloth cotton towels. Designed by Forsyth. The Row towels are...
Fabric, Rattan
Customizable Gubi Bohemian 72 Lounge Chair by Gabriella Crespi
By Gabriella Crespi, Gubi
Located in New York, NY
Comprising a lounge chair, three-seater sofa, ottoman and floor lamp – all crafted from rattan – the Bohemian 72 Collection embodies Crespi’s ca...
Fabric, Rattan
Gabriella Crespi Bohemian 72 Lounge Chair Diagonal Bouclé Dedar 007 for GUBI
By Gabriella Crespi, Gubi
Located in New York, NY
The Bohemian ‘72 Collection brings together Gabriella Crespi’s interest in natural materials, her fascination with stacked sculptural forms, and her curiosity about Eastern cultures ...
Upholstery, Rattan
$4,399 / item
H 25.5 in W 30.3 in D 33.4 in
Pierre Paulin 'Pacha' Lounge Chair with Returning Swivel for GUBI
By Gubi, Pierre Paulin
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pierre Paulin 'Pacha' Lounge Chair with Returning Swivel for GUBI Pierre Paulin 'Pacha' lounge chair upholstered in Harp ivory fabric (24- Fabric group A). Paulin designed the 'Pacha' lounge chair in 1975 with the intention of creating a sensation of sitting on clouds. With ivory cotton upholstery and a returning swivel wood base with a pearl gold finish, the curvaceous and low-slung Pacha lounge chair...
Cotton, Wood
Poltrona Tria Lounge Chair in Rattan by Carlo de Carli for GUBI
By Carlo di Carli, Gubi
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Poltrona Tria Lounge Chair in Rattan by Carlo de Carli for GUBI Seamlessly merging the inherent beauty and charm of natural rattan with meticulous ergonomic precision, the Poltrona ...
Upholstery, Rattan
$2,499 / item
H 29.14 in W 31.5 in D 29.53 in
Customizable Gubi Grace Rattan Lounge Chair by Tove Kindt Larsen
By Gubi
Located in New York, NY
An elegant, organic and harmonious compendium of curves, the Grace chair by Tove Kindt-Larsen leads the contemporary revival of the sustainable and natural rattan material. Inspired by the soft curves of pebbles and driftwood she would collect from the beaches of northern Denmark, architect and designer Kindt-Larsen’s envisioned a graceful refinement of the informal rattan lounge chair. With its sweeping, gentle curves and intricate loops of flexible rattan, it supports a generous, upholstered seat and envelopes a plump, loose back cushion. Together they bring a comfort, tactility and and lightness that brings the outdoors inside, while the characteristics of the rattan frame give it a natural robustness and longevity. The timeless beauty of Tove Kindt-Larsen’s 1936 design and the sustainability of the rattan material make the Grace Chair a highly versatile and popular addition to the GUBI collection. With a choice of upholstery options available, it can add light and texture to a home and an informal yet elegant welcome to hotel or business interiors...
Textile
Gubi F-Chair Outdoor Lounge Chair by Marcel Gascoin
By Marcel Gascoin, Gubi
Located in New York, NY
An archetypal lounge chair, the F-Chair evolved out of the C-Chair and shares the same tapered rear legs, though the F-Chair features upright front legs. The more relaxed incline and...
Teak
$4,899 / item
H 25.5 in W 30.3 in D 33.4 in
Pierre Paulin Pacha Lounge Chair with Returning Swivel for GUBI
By Pierre Paulin, Gubi
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pierre Paulin Pacha Lounge chair with returning Swivel for GUBI. Pierre Paulin designed the Pacha lounge chair in 1975 with the intention of creati...
Cotton, Wood
$5,499 / item
H 25.5 in W 30.3 in D 33.4 in
Pierre Paulin 'Pacha' Outdoor Lounge Chair with Returning Swivel for Gubi
By Gubi, Pierre Paulin
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pierre Paulin Pacha Outdoor Lounge Chair with Returning Swivel for Gubi Designed for durability, this authorized re-edition of the Pacha Collection for o...
Cotton, Wood
$3,299 / item
H 29.93 in W 27.56 in D 27.56 in
Customizable Gubi Stay Lounge Chair By Space Copenhagen
By Gubi, Space Copenhagen
Located in New York, NY
Starting fabric Stay here, stay with me, stay relaxed, stay and read...The Stay Sofa has a sculptural and organic shape that, besides giving a contemporary look, also embraces the us...
Textile
$3,899 / item
H 25.6 in W 30.32 in D 33.47 in
New and Made to Order Gubi Pacha Lounge Swivel Chair by Pierre Paulin
By Pierre Paulin, Gubi
Located in New York, NY
Curvaceous, soft and low-slung, the Pacha lounge chair is a joyfully modernist creation which embraces both extreme comfort and effortless versatility. Iconic designer Pierre Paulin’s vision was to create a sensation of ‘sitting on clouds’. A little ahead of its time in 1975, the modular Pacha Collection is finally coming into its own today. While the overall feel is organic and hyper-relaxed, Paulin’s obsession for ergonomic precision and craftsmanship can only be fully appreciated by sitting in one of his striking creations. Taking up very little floor space, it is extraordinarily comfortable, and there is also a choice between a fixed or swiveling base. Paulin’s vision of sitting in an entire cloud formation is made possible by the many modular combinations available. The Pacha Ottoman provides extra comfort for the Lounge Chair, or even as an informal seat of its own. Mix and match Pacha Sofa...
Textile
$2,699 / item
H 25.79 in W 27.56 in D 32.29 in
Customizable Gubi GT Lounge Chair Designed by Greta M. Grossman
By Gubi, Greta Magnusson Grossman
Located in New York, NY
The GT lounge chair was designed by Greta M. Grossman in 1949. The sleek and feminine lines beautifully express the influence Scandinavian design had o...
Textile
$3,899 / item
H 25.6 in W 30.32 in D 33.47 in
Customizable Gubi Pacha Outdoor Lounge Chair, Swivel by Pierre Paulin
By Gubi, Pierre Paulin
Located in New York, NY
Legendary French designer Pierre Paulin originally designed the Pacha Lounge Chair in 1975. Paulin designed the chair in harmony with the changing design style of its period, replaci...
Textile
$8,799 / item
H 35.44 in W 82.68 in D 41.34 in
Customizable Gubi Bohemian 72 Lounge Chair by Gabriella Crespi
By Gabriella Crespi, Gubi
Located in New York, NY
Comprising a lounge chair, three-seater sofa, ottoman and floor lamp – all crafted from rattan – the Bohemian 72 Collection embodies Crespi’s ca...
Fabric, Rattan
$2,999 / item
H 26.96 in W 25.6 in D 34.65 in
Rasmussen 'MR01' Indoor/Outdoor Initial Chair in Iroko Wood for Gubi
By Gubi
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rasmussen 'MR01' Indoor/Outdoor Initial Chair in Iroko Wood for Gubi Created by woodworker Mathias Steen Rasmussen, the 'MR01' initial chair unites traditional craftsmanship with or...
Rope, Wood
Sold
H 27 in W 27 in D 45 in
Original Gabriella Crespi "Rising Sun" Collection Reclining Lounge Chairs
By Gabriella Crespi
Located in North Miami, FL
These reclining chairs made entirely of Malacca Rattan and are key elements of Crespi's visionary rising sun collection created in 1974. Each is signed to brass plaque, original seat...
Rattan