Entrepreneur Aurelio Zanotta founded Zanotta in 1954 in Nova Milanese, Italy. Originally called Zanotta Poltrona, it specialized in traditional furniture. By the early 1960s, however, Zanotta had established a reputation for edgy mid-century modern design. Today’s vintage furniture collectors know the brand well for its innovative and wholly sculptural chairs, coffee tables and more.
One of Zanotta’s earliest successes was the Mezzadro stool — better known as the Tractor stool — designed by Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and his brother Achille in the late 1950s. In 1965, Zanotta was among the first furniture companies to work with expanded polyurethane foam and frameless construction, such as for the Throw-Away sofas and armchairs designed by Willie Landels. Another popular design was the Blow chair — designed by Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, Paolo Lomazzi and Carla Scolari — viewed by many as a physical expression of late '60s carefree culture.
In 1969, amid the provocative movement we now call Italian Radical Design, Zanotta’s Sacco chair garnered major attention. The boundary-pushing beanbag chair was the brainchild of designers Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro who presented it to Aurelio Zanotta as a transparent vinyl sack loosely filled with small polystyrene balls. He suggested its signature brightly colored leather.
The Sacco chair won the 1970 ADI Design Museum’s Compasso d’Oro award. In 1972, the Museum of Modern Art in New York included it in the landmark exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” curated by designer Emilio Ambasz. In 2020, it received a Compasso d’Oro ADI Lifetime Achievement Award for 50 years of enduring popularity. It is now in museum collections around the world including the Triennale Design Museum of Milan, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.
After Aurelio Zanotta died in 1991, the company remained in his family and has been run by his three children since 2002. Zanotta continues to set the bar high for furniture design with trend-setting pieces.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Zanotta seating, tables and other furniture.
Zanotta Tucano Writing Desk in 0814 Cowhide Pigmentato Top with Matt Black Frame
By Monica Förster, Zanotta
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta Tucano Writing Desk in 0814 Cowhide Pigmentato Top with Matt Black Frame Matt black varnished steel frame. Top covered with cowhide pigmentato 90. A discreet, elegant, ...
Cowhide
Zanotta Calamo Desk in Black Top with Steel Frame by Gabriele Rosa
By Zanotta, Gabriele Rosa
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta Calamo Desk in Black Top with Steel Frame by Gabriele Rosa Varnished steel frame and top in black, white or graphite. Top and storage space in cowhide pigmentato 90. The storage space is accessed by a drop-leaf opening. Calamo is not an old-style desk with drawers overflowing with paper, but an essential element of furniture, both in function and appearance, something that could fit anywhere in the home. The collection includes a new furnishing accessory designed by young designer Gabriele Rosa: the Calamo desk-console table. With a white, black or graphite steel structure with cowhide pigmentato cover for the surface and storage space under the folding lid. Undoubtedly the writing desk still...
Steel
Riga Desk in ash and Black Finish by Marc Newson for Cappellini
By Marc Newson, Cappellini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed by Marc Newson, the Riga table is a writing desk made of matte lacquered wood (in all of the colours in the collection) with legs in solid beech wood. The feet and knobs are...
Ash
Zanotta Comacina Writing Desk in Black Top & Stainless Steel by Piero Bottoni
By Zanotta
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta Comacina Writing Desk in Black Top & Stainless Steel Frame by Piero Bottoni 18/8 stainless steel tubular frame. Top and storage unit in medi...
Stainless Steel
Anonima Castelli LC Table in matt Black by Design Studio Castelli, 1975
By Anonima Castelli
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The LC table, designed by Castelli Design Studio in 1975, stands out among the company's corporate products in its executive-oriented wing. It can be seen as an indestructible monoli...
Steel
Anonima Castelli Platone foldable Desk in Black by Giancarlo Piretti, 1970
By Giancarlo Piretti, Anonima Castelli
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Platone was designed by Giancarlo Piretti in 1970. The three-disc mechanism is the common thread of all Piretti bestsellers, of which Platone is the most daring. With a sturdy cantil...
Aluminum
Zanotta Black or White Comacina Desk by Piero Bottoni
By Zanotta
Located in New York, NY
Writing desk. 18/8 stainless steel tubular frame. Top and storage unit in medium density fiberboard finished with scratch resistant embossing in the colours talc or black. The top ca...
Stainless Steel
ClassiCon Notos Standing Desk in Black by Thomas Kühl & Andreas Krob
Located in New York, NY
Notos is an essential object in a household or office where artistically inclined persons live and work. That is because this unprecedented, multifunctional piece of furniture transforms itself in no time into a standing desk or a note stand...
Plywood
Zanotta Black or White Comacina Desk by Piero Bottoni
By Zanotta
Located in New York, NY
Writing desk. 18/8 stainless steel tubular frame. Top and storage unit in medium density fiberboard finished with scratch resistant embossing in the colours talc or black. The top ca...
Stainless Steel
Medium, Airisto Work Desk, Stained Black by Made by Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Medium, Airisto work desk, stained black by Made By Choice with Joanna Laajisto Dimensions: W140cm, D55cm, H74 cm. Materials: solid ash Finishes: natural ash / painted black Al...
Wood, Ash
Large, Airisto Work Desk, Stained Black by Made by Choice
Located in Geneve, CH
Large, Airisto work desk, stained black by Made By Choice with Joanna Laajisto Dimensions: W 160cm, D 55cm, H 74 cm Materials: Solid Ash Finishes: Natural ash / painted black A...
Wood, Ash
J1 Blackened Steel Desk by Edelman New York
Located in New York, NY
The hot rolled J Desk is New York sleek. She's hot and cool, smooth and effortless. Dark, but transparent about it. Hides nothing, elevating your home character. Featuring removable arch desk...
Metal
Alessia Genova takes us on a tour of her design for the eminent furniture maker’s new shoppable townhouse in Greenwich Village.
The brilliantly simple design turns a modest bouquet into a major statement.
