Collectors of vintage mid-century modern furniture will find that the work of Italian designer Vittorio Dassi and Dassi Mobili Moderni is elegant and sculptural, brimming with all of the clean, angular lines and pleasing symmetry associated with the best of the era’s offerings.
While Dassi's name is less known to enthusiasts of the period’s furniture than the likes of Ico and Luisa Parisi, Franco Albini and other leading lights of mid-20th century Italian design, his case pieces, tables and seating will prove no less worthy of hunting down at today's flea markets and online marketplaces.
Wood was Dassi's preferred material — he favored rosewood, mahogany, walnut and other species for his covetable desks and wall units, which frequently featured decorative flourishes such as glass inlays, while a sideboard or buffet’s fronts might boast hand-carved geometric cutouts in lieu of brass door handles.
While little is known about Dassi's early life, it is believed that his career in furniture design began in 1940 at his family's company Dassi Mobili Moderni, in Lissone, Italy. Shortly thereafter, he took over managing the company from his father.
While Dassi produced dry bars and other case pieces during the 1950s that featured the motifs and ornament that are today attributed to the Art Deco movement, he created sumptuous mahogany nightstands topped with black glass and minimalist teak coffee tables that better represented the forward-looking spirit of mid-century modernism. His wall units of the era for Mobili Cantù are works of art — crafted in walnut and featuring birch veneers and high-gloss lacquer finishes as well as a single door front decorated with an abstract painting or otherwise provocative illustration, these structures would undoubtedly prove quite impressive to the likes of Poul Cadovius and George Nelson.
Dassi often collaborated with Italian architect, editor and furniture designer Gio Ponti. Ponti designed thousands of furnishings and products — from cabinets, mirrors and chairs to ceramics and coffeemakers — and his buildings, including the brawny Pirelli Tower (1956) in his native Milan, and the castle-like Denver Art Museum (1971), were erected in 14 countries. A collaboration between Dassi and Ponti of note is the pair’s work on the Hotel Royal in Naples — Ponti was commissioned to design the hotel and he partnered with Dassi to design the hotel's furnishings.
Today, Dassi Mobili Moderni S.R.L. is still in operation in Lissone.
Find vintage Dassi furniture by Fratelli Turri, Edmondo Palutari and other designers on 1stDibs.
Mid-Century Italian Wooden Chest of Drawers, Dassi Attr., 1950s
By Dassi
Located in Argelato, BO
This elegant, refined executive desk/drawer unit is an icon of mid-century modern Italian furniture, attributed to designer Vittorio Dassi and produced around the 1950s. Crafted from...
Glass, Wood
Monumental Mid-century Dresser in wood by Dassi, Italy, 1950s
By Dassi
Located in Argelato, BO
This extraordinary mid-century dresser by Dassi features an elegant and refined design, typical of 1950s Italian style. Crafted from wood with a rosewood finish, it features a sturdy...
Brass
Mid-Century Italian Sideboard, Compact Wood Design, 1950s Modern Style
Located in Argelato, BO
Italian Mid-Century Sideboard in wood, 1950s The elegant and compact sideboard can easily adapt to the most different living contexts
Wood
Elegant Mid-Century Sideboard in Wood and Brass, Buffa Style, Italy 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Argelato, BO
This 1950s sideboard features an elegant, mid-century design. It's crafted from wood with a glossy finish that highlights the grain, arranged in geometric, diamond-shaped panels on t...
Brass
Monumental Mid-Century Sideboard in Wood and Brass, Buffa Style, Italy 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Argelato, BO
Monumental and elegant Italian Mid Century sideboard / Drybar in wood and brass, in the style of architect Paolo Buffa, 1950s design. It is a storage unit capable of storing large qu...
Brass
"Archimede" modular wooden storage unit / sideboard by Hirozi Fukuoh, 1962
By Gavina
Located in Argelato, BO
The Archimede sideboard is an icon of mid-century modern design, designed by Hirozi Fukuoh for Gavina in the 1960s. Crafted from solid rosewood and veneered with rosewood veneer, it ...
Brass
Mid-Century Chest of Drawers attributed to Paolo Buffa, Italy, 1950s
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Chest of Drawers attributed to Paolo Buffa, Italy, 1950s
Brass
Vittorio Dassi 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern 4-Drawer Chest
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Mid-Century Modern 4-drawer chest with a lightly vertically striped fruitwood veneer, with bronze and ebonized drawer pulls and a muted green ...
Fruitwood
Italian Mid-Century Sideboard or Chest of Drawers in Maple Root, 1950s
Located in Traversetolo, IT
This beautiful Italian chest of drawers from the 1950s is a fine example of mid-century modern design, characterized by timeless elegance and high-quality craftsmanship, making it a ...
Brass
Mid Century Modern Chest of Drawers in style of Osvaldo Borsani, Italy 1950s
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find an elegant mid-century chest of drawers distinguished by its richly figured wood veneer and striking decorative top. The façade is crafted from a beauti...
Brass
Italian mid-century modern Chest of drawers in wood, glass and brass, 1950s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern Chest of drawers in wood, glass and brass, 1950s Rectangular chest of drawers in glass, wood and brass. The top is in white back-painted glass. The structu...
Brass
Mid-Century Modern Chest, Wood, Italy, 1960s
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Chest, Wood, Italy, 1960s
Wood
