While working under the polymath Gio Ponti — arguably the most important figure in 20th-century Italian modernism — furniture designer Franco Albini nurtured a love for modern forms combined with traditional craft techniques.
Albini is widely known for working with organic materials such as rattan and cane for his chairs and other seating, but he also played a pivotal role in the Italian rationalist movement of the early 20th century, which saw architects and furniture makers applying a strict emphasis on geometry in their work. Rationalists drew on Ancient Roman architecture but rejected ornament, much in the way that Le Corbusier and celebrated Bauhaus figures such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had in their modernist furniture.
Albini received his degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1929, and, in 1931, he founded his practice in Milan, where he tackled workers’ housing and other reconstruction projects. A gifted urban planner, he also developed the Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Rosso and Tesoro di San Lorenzo museums in Genoa. While Albini is revered for his Margherita chair — a Triennale Milano award winner created for Bonacina in 1951 — he also collaborated with manufacturers Poggi and Cassina in the 1940s on seating, tables and more that embodied his artistic vision. Of that mid-century work, the one piece that perhaps best captures this vision is the iconic Luisa chair.
With its cherry red upholstery and sinuous wooden legs that seem to float aboveground, the Luisa is a genuine masterpiece. It is also a testament to Albini’s perfectionism, as it endured several prototypes — including one made by Knoll in the late 1940s — and took approximately 15 years to design. Poggi launched the final version of the armchair in 1955, earning Albini the prestigious Compasso d’Oro from Italy’s Association for Industrial Design. It is produced today by Cassina. Albini named the chair for someone who likely saw the process firsthand: his personal secretary of two decades, Luisa Colombini.
Find vintage Franco Albini furniture on 1stDibs.
Franco Albini Radio in Cristallo by Cassina, Modern Italian Design
By Franco Albini
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Franco Albini Radio In Cristallo For Cassina LIMITED EDITION OF 5 PIECES HAND WIRED A radio at the forefront of modern Italian design, developed from a canny intuition to put the ...
Lacquer
Franco Albini Coat Rack in Bamboo and Woven Rattan, Italy 1960s
By Franco Albini
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful mid-century organic coat rack fully hand-made in bamboo, curved rattan and hand-woven wicker. This charming and unique piece was designed by Franco Albini and produced in ...
Bamboo, Rattan, Wood, Walnut
Franco Albini Radio in Cristallo for Cassina, Italy - new
By Cassina, Franco Albini
Located in Berlin, DE
please note: 842 subwoofer wireless for clearglass-radio is currently not available. Radio is available separately though. Prices vary dependent on the material/color/model of the product. Radio in Cristallo station by Franco Albini in 1938. Relaunched in 2021. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Radio in Cristallo goes straight to the heart of the project that Franco Albini created as a prototype-model in 1938 for his home. He took apart and reassembled a radio in a wood cabinet received as a wedding gift, exposing the electric components by pressing them between two sheets of tempered glass. A tribute to lightness, a step that catapults the designer in the direction of bold modernity that, by demonstrating progress, narrates its value. In concert with Fondazione Franco Albini, Cassina has optimized the design the architect entered into a competition by the Swiss company Wohnbedarf in 1940, keeping the same size while adding new Bluetooth technology and an optional subwoofer that, connected to Wi-Fi, creates a more enveloping atmosphere. Radio in Cristallo will also be offered in a special limited edition of only five pieces. The Radio in Cristallo L.E., with a numbered metal plate on the side of the structure, will feature white knobs...
Glass
L'Arredamento Moderno. Quarta Serie (1949)
By Franco Albini, Roberto Aloi
Located in New York, NY
An important postwar compendium of international modern furniture and interior design, the fourth installment of Roberto Aloi's influential series documenting the evolution of modern...
Paper
Italian mid-century modern wood double bed by Franco Albini for Poggi, 1960s
By Poggi, Franco Albini
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern wooden double bed by Franco Albini for Poggi, 1960s Double bed with a wooden structure. The headboard has a rounded profile, while the footboard is rectang...
Wood
Franco Albini Magazine Rack, Bamboo and Rattan, Italian Design, 1960s
By Franco Albini
Located in Milano, IT
Iconic piece of Italian Mid-Century Modern design by the legendary Franco Albini, this 1960s magazine rack is a masterclass in organic geometry and artisanal craftsmanship. Crafted i...
Bamboo
Mid-Century Modern Bamboo Coat Hook by Franco Albini, Italy 1950s
By Franco Albini
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a Mid-Century Modern oval vintage rattan and bamboo wall coat hook designed by a reknown Italian designer Franco Albini (attr). The rattan hooks...
Bamboo
1950’s Bamboo Coat Stand by Franco Albini
By Franco Albini
Located in London, Lambeth
Born near Milan in 1905, Franco Albini was an Italian architect, urban planner, and furniture designer active between the 1930s and the 1960s. He studied architecture at Milan’s famo...
Bamboo
$1,148
H 18.51 in W 19.69 in D 12.6 in
Midcentury Bamboo and Rattan Magazine Rack, Franco Albini designer
By Franco Albini
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Midcentury bamboo and rattan magazine rack, Franco Albini attributed Polished shellac Measures cm: D 32, W 50, H 47.
Bamboo
$6,800Sale Price|20% Off
H 48.04 in W 42.13 in D 81.11 in
Sculptural form brass day bed by Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamento Borsani, circa 1958
By Arnaldo Pomodoro, Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamenti Borsani
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Beautiful and important sculpturakl form brass single bed or day bed circa 1958-1963 by Osvaldo Borsani for 'Arredamento Borsani', Varedo , Italy. The small series of Borsani beds designed were produced in several different designs ,each in very limited numbers and all hand made by the Arredamento Borsani in Varedo, italy. This series of beds never went into serial industrial production , a fact confirmed to me by the Arredamento Borsani archives. Beginning in the late 1950s,Osvaldo Borsani went on to collaborate with many great artists such as Lucio Fontana, Fausto Melotti, Agenore Fabbri, Aligi Sassu and Arnaldo Pomodoro, amongst others entrusting each to provide decorative elements to his designs. The brass headboard features a series of heavy cast solid brass interlocking geometric elements each featuring a beautiful organic three dimensional surface finish creating a supremely elegant and timeless repetitive motif . The bed still retains all its original decorative brass nuts ,bolts and finials which feature the same three dimensional decorative finish as the decorative sculptural forms contained in the headboard. We have had a new bespoke mattress and bolster pillow made with a natural latex foam surface as they would have originally had which also has the benefit that latex breathes. The mattress has an opulent decorative buttoned finish . Botht the mattress and pillow have been finished in 100% wool 'PLOEGWOOL' fabric by the high quality Dutch fabric manufacturer DE PLOEG. MATTRESS DIMENSIONS : Width 100cm x length 200cm / 3ft 3.37inch x 6ft 6.74inch BOLSTER PILLOW DIMENSIONS: Width 100cm diameter 24cm / 3ft 3.37inch x 9.45inch The mattress is supported on a 20mm ( 0.75 inch ) thick plywood board ,with breathing holes, which spans across the transverse brass plated steel frame elements. When used as a day bed SEATING...
Brass
Esempi Reprint, Lighting, 1934-1964, Italy, 2010s
By Roberto Aloi
Located in Milan, IT
Esempi was one of the most important interior design publications from the 1930s to the 1970s. Over 500 models of table, floor and ceiling lamps...
Paper
$34
H 10.63 in W 7.88 in D 0.04 in
1949 French Fillette Magazine No. 172, Illustrated Adventure Cover - 2C193
Located in Bordeaux, FR
Dated November 3, 1949, this issue of the French children’s magazine Fillette has a dramatic colour cover for L’Archipel maudit, showing a young woman aboard a boat as a crocodile em...
Paper
$34
H 10.63 in W 7.88 in D 0.04 in
1949 French Fillette Magazine No. 174, Illustrated Nautical Cover - 2C195
Located in Bordeaux, FR
Dated November 17, 1949, this issue of Fillette features a colourful cover for L’Archipel maudit, depicting figures aboard a sailing boat approaching a rocky island. Inside, illustra...
Paper
$39
H 10.63 in W 7.49 in D 0.04 in
1949 French Fillette Magazine No. 173, Illustrated Horseback Cover - 2C212
Located in Bordeaux, FR
Published on November 10, 1949, this issue of Fillette features a dramatic cover for Le Chevalier de Vallahad, depicting mounted figures against a rocky landscape. Signed by Kline, t...
Paper
$3,196 / set
H 27.17 in W 36.23 in D 81.11 in
Mid-Century Modern Italian Pair of Bamboo and Wicker Sofa Beds, 1960s
Located in Prato, IT
Mid-Century Modern Italian pair of bamboo and wicker sofa beds or single beds. The beds need a mattress of cm. 85 x 190 (Standard Italian single bed size).
Bamboo, Rattan
$8,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 10.83 in W 55.52 in D 74.81 in
Rosewood Bed by Celina Decorações, 1960s, Double Size, Mid-Century Brazilian
By Geraldo de Barros
Located in New York, NY
In the 1960s in Brazil, furniture with modern design gained more space within the intimate areas of homes, especially bedrooms. The architecture and decoration magazines started to s...
Rosewood
Salvino Marsura, wrought-iron double bed, Italy, 1960s
By Salvino Marsura
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
Elegance, strength, and lightness intertwine in the design of this wrought-iron double bed, created in the 1960s by sculptor and designer Salvino Marsura. The structure reveals a del...
Wrought Iron
$2,472Sale Price|20% Off
H 48.25 in W 64.5 in D 87 in
Mid-Century Modern Italian Exotic Wood Queen Bed Style Osvaldo Borsani
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, mid-century modern sculptural Italian custom queen bed with exotic wood. Attributed in style to Osvaldo Borsani, Made in Ital...
Walnut, Wood
Teak Bed Danish Mid-Century Modern 1960s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Crafted in Denmark, this bed showcases clean Scandinavian lines and rich teak wood grain. The warm organic finish highlights the sleek headboards and low footboards. Ideal for a gues...
Teak
$3,082
H 34.26 in W 77.56 in D 86.23 in
Mid-Century Modern Bed in Wood and Leather, Vintage Italian Design
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Bed, Wood and Leather, Italy
Leather, Wood
$235
H 2.32 in W 1.32 in D 3 in
1949 Art Deco Ronson "Spartan" Streamline Table Lighter in Chrome & Black Enamel
By Louis Vincent Aronson, Ronson
Located in Red Lion, PA
1949 Ronson “Spartan” Streamline Table Lighter in Chrome & Black Enamel Designed and made in the USA in 1949, this Ronson “Spartan” table lighter is a sleek slice of postwar style. ...
Enamel, Chrome
Móvel Moderno Brasileiro, Brazilian Modern Design, Book
Located in Deerfield Beach, FL
The Brazilian modern design book extensively classifies the work of 15 of the most representative Brazilian furniture designers in the mod...
Paper
$3,310 / set
H 35.83 in W 78.75 in D 34.65 in
Mid-Century Modern Italian Pair of Bamboo and Rattan Beds with Bed Net. 1960s
Located in Prato, IT
Mid-Century Modern Pair of Italian Bamboo and rattan Day Bed in really good vintage conditions with a beautiful patina due to age and use. The beds come with wooden slatted bed nets.
Bamboo, Rattan
Sold
H 18 in W 49 in D 4 in
Franca Helg & Franco Albini Large Rattan Wall Coat Rack, Bonacina, Italy, 1960s
By Bonacina 1889, Franco Albini, Franca Helg, Vittorio Bonacina, Franco Albini and Franca Helg
Located in Vienna, AT
A large and decorative wall-mounted Riviera Style coat & hat rack with five hooks from the 1960s. Designed by Italian designers Franca Helg & Franco Albini for Vittorio Bonacina, Ita...
Bamboo, Wicker, Cane, Rattan
Franco Albini Italian Coat Rack in Bamboo & Rattan, Italy 1960s
By Franco Albini, Bonacina
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful midcentury organic coat racks in bamboo, curved rattan and handwoven wicker designed by Franco Albini and produced by Bonacina in Italy during the 1960s. In amazing condi...
Bamboo, Rattan, Wood, Walnut
Sold
H 13 in W 23.23 in D 5.12 in
Midcentury Wall Coat Rack in Bamboo and Rattan by Franco Albini, Italy 1960s
By Franco Albini, Franco Albini and Franca Helg
Located in Rome, IT
Midcentury beautiful wall coat rack in bamboo and rattan by Franco Albini & Franca Helg. Made in Italy in the 1960s.
Bamboo, Wicker, Cane, Rattan
Sold
H 21.5 in W 18.25 in D 29.5 in
Sculptural Mid-Century Modern Italian Wicker Rattan Rocking Horse, Franco Albini
By Franco Albini
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Sculptural Mid-Century Modern Italian rattan rocking horse by Franco Albini. This decorative object is perfect for displaying in a child's room, o...
Rattan
Two Nightstands by Franco Albini, Model 'CD 31', Walnut, 1963
By Poggi, Franco Albini
Located in Berlin, DE
Nightstands model 'CD31' with one drawer and cupboards by Franco Albini made of wood and walnut veneer, 1963. Manufactured by Poggi Italy.
Walnut
Original Italian Rocking Horse Made of Bamboo and Rattan
By Franco Albini
Located in München, DE
Original 1960s rocking horse made of bamboo and rattan. Design attributed to the well-known architect and designer Franco Albini (1905-1977). Made in Italy. Wonderful decoration fo...
Bamboo, Wicker
Rosewood Veneered Pair of Wall Units by Franco Alibini, 1958
By Franco Albini
Located in Berlin, DE
A pair of elegant and modern wall units, with a decisive minimal design. Made of wood with rosewood veneer, freely hanging on the wall. Designed by influential designer Franco Albini...
Wood, Rosewood
Sold
H 20.08 in Dm 11.03 in
Franco Albini for Bonacina Umbrella Stand or Basket in Bamboo Curved Italy 1950s
By Franco Albini, Bonacina
Located in Roma, IT
Franco Albini for Bonacina, umbrella stand or basket in hot-curved bamboo, 1950s Italy Measurements: 51 x 28 cm.
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Sold
H 19.69 in Dm 9.06 in
1950s Curved Rattan Basket Umbrella Stand by Franco Albini for Vittorio Bonacina
By Franco Albini, Bonacina
Located in Rome, IT
Midcentury rattan umbrella stand or holder by Franco Albini for Vittorio Bonacina, Italy.
Bamboo, Rattan