The Italian artist, illustrator and furniture maker Piero Fornasetti was one of the wittiest and most imaginative design talents of the 20th century. He crafted an inimitable decorative style from a personal vocabulary of images that included birds, butterflies, hot-air balloons, architecture and — most frequently, and in some 500 variations — an enigmatic woman’s face based on that of the 19th-century opera singer Lina Cavalieri. Fornasetti used transfer prints of these images, rendered in the style of engravings, to decorate an endless variety of furnishings and housewares that ranged from chairs, tables and desks to dinner plates, lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often surreal and always fun.
Fornasetti was born in Milan, the son of an accountant, and he lived his entire life in the city. He showed artistic talent as a child and enrolled at Milan’s Brera Academy of Fine Art in 1930, but was expelled after two years for consistently failing to follow his professors’ orders. A group of his hand-painted silk scarves, displayed in the 1933 Triennale di Milano, caught the eye of the architect and designer Gio Ponti, who, in the 1940s, became Fornasetti’s collaborator and patron. Beginning in the early 1950s, they created a striking a series of desks, bureaus and secretaries that pair Ponti’s signature angular forms with Fornasetti’s decorative motifs — lighthearted arrangements of flowers and birds on some pieces, austere architectural imagery on others. The two worked together on numerous commissions for interiors, though their greatest project has been lost: the first-class lounges and restaurants of the luxury ocean liner Andrea Doria, which sank in 1956.
Fornasetti furnishings occupy an unusual and compelling niche in the decorative arts: they are odd yet pack a serious punch. They act, essentially, as functional sculpture. A large Fornasetti piece such as a cabinet or a desk can change the character of an entire room; his smaller works have the aesthetic power of a vase of flowers, providing a bright and alluring decorative note. The chimerical, fish-nor-fowl nature of Fornasetti’s work may be its greatest strength. It stands on its own. Bringing the Fornasetti look into the future is Barnaba Fornasetti, who took the reins of the company after his father's death.
Osvaldo Borsani for AVB Rare Onyx and Mahogany Dining or Center Table Model 7969
By Arredamenti Borsani, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in New York, NY
Osvaldo Borsani for ABV (Arredamenti Borsani Varedo) exquisite and rare center or round dining table model 7969 with its original green onyx marble table top resting on sculptural da...
Onyx
Effetto Vetro Contemporary Custom Tripod Side Table in Glass and Brass
By Effetto Vetro
Located in New York, NY
Effetto Vetro exquisite custom contemporary round side table with green glass mirrored top inset on satin brass tripod base with floating green glass orb suspended on brass stem. This exquisite modernist sculptural side table is handmade and the colored mirrored glass is hand silvered. The glass top and matching orb come in a variety of vintage glass colors from the 1950s. The green color of this glass is an extraordinary soft vintage green shade of Murano glass no longer seen these days among more recently produced green glass which is complimented beautifully by the satin brass table frame. Signed "Effetto Vetro" on metal plaque attached to brass structure on underside. Bestoke / Customizable Custom made-to-order either single or pair within 5-6 week lead time. Glass color options include yellow, amber, rose, cobalt blue, azure, aquamarine, and black. Custom sizes for side tables available in all colors. Prices will be subject to change for 2025 production of this side table. $9,000/each. $18,000/pair. After years of training in several Italian artisan glass workshops, Maurizio Foddis (born 1975) and Andrea Baisi (born 1976) founded Effetto Vetro in 2014, an artisan glass atelier specializing in handcrafted furniture, lighting, and mirrors using cut glass and crystal. Through their continuous research, Foddis and Baisi...
Brass
Angelo Mangiarotti Carrara Marble Side Table from 'Eros' Series, 1971
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Skipper
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Angelo Mangiarotti for Skipper from the Eros series, Carrara marble side table with top fitted on conical base. This elegantly organic table has beautiful subtle veining throughout. Original Skipper label on underside. As the label attests, this Mangiarotti Carrara marble table...
Marble, Carrara Marble
Effetto Vetro Contemporary Custom Pair of Tripod Side Tables in Glass and Brass
By Effetto Vetro
Located in New York, NY
Effetto Vetro exquisite custom contemporary pair of round side tables with green glass mirrored tops inset on satin brass tripod bases with floating green glass orbs suspended on brass stems. This exquisite pair of modernist sculptural side tables are handmade and the colored mirrored glass is hand silvered. The glass tops and matching orbs come in a variety of vintage glass colors from the 1950s. The green color of this glass is an extraordinary soft vintage green shade of Murano glass no longer seen these days among more recently produced green glass which is complimented beautifully by the brushed gold brass table frames. Signed "Effetto Vetro" on metal plaque attached to brass structure on underside. Bestoke / Customizable Custom made-to-order either single or pair within 5-6 week lead time. Glass color options include yellow, amber, rose, cobalt blue, azure, aquamarine, and black. Custom sizes for side tables available in all colors. Prices will be subject to change for 2025 production of this side table. $18,000/pair, $9,000/each. After years of training in several Italian artisan glass workshops, Maurizio Foddis (born 1975) and Andrea Baisi (born 1976) founded Effetto Vetro in 2014, an artisan glass atelier specializing in handcrafted furniture, lighting, and mirrors using cut glass and crystal. Through their continuous research, Foddis and Baisi...
Brass
Angelo Mangiarotti Carrara Marble Tall Side Table from Eros Series, 1971
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Skipper
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Angelo Mangiarotti for Skipper from the 'Eros' series, Carrara marble tall side table or console with top fitted on a conical base. This elegantly organic table has beautiful subtle veining throughout. Original Skipper label on underside. As the label attests, this Mangiarotti Carrara...
Carrara Marble
Contemporary Italian Side Table in Glass and Brass
Located in New York, NY
Side, occasional or drinks table in thick beveled glass with small brass handle detail on patinated brass tripod base, Italy, 2023. This chic modern side table is beautifully constru...
Brass
FORNASETTI Playing Cards Side Table
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round cocktail side table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting a set of imperial playing cards / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label unders...
Wood
FORNASETTI Playing Cards Side Table
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting a set of imperial playing cards, it can be used as a side table or center table / made in Milan Italy by Forna...
Wood
FORNASETTI Golden Kings Side Table
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round side table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting golden kings on black background / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label underside Meas...
Metal
FORNASETTI Fruits Side Table
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original round side table with transfer-printed wooden top depicting circles of various fruits / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label underside Measures: d...
Metal
1960 Piero Fornasetti Italian Design Flower Metal Brass Gueridon Side Table
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Brescia, IT
Side Table Piero Fornasetti Italy, 1950 lithographic transfer print on lacquered metal Brass Frame Paper label on the bottom Wear consistent with age and use (shown in the pictures)
Metal
Side Table, Piero Fornasetti, circa 1950
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Berlin, DE
This unusual, filigree side table was created by the Italian designer Piero Fornasetti. He focused in particular on the surface design of his works with his unusual hand drawings. He...
Brass
