Cappellini Seating
In 1946, at the start of a postwar boom in Europe, Enrico Cappellini opened the doors to a small furniture studio in the Italian town of Carugo. But it wasn’t until his son joined the company nearly three decades later that Cappellini became a powerhouse fixture on the global design stage. Today Cappellini is one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of innovative chairs, tables and decorative objects.
Giulio Cappellini joined the family company in 1977 and, with his appointment, ushered in a stage of boundary-pushing modernism and prolific creativity at Cappellini. With a dual background in architecture and business management, Giulio was well equipped to steer the brand into both innovative design and economic growth in a rapidly globalizing economy.
The second-generation leader’s first major success came in 1981, with the launch of Sistemi, a modular, hyperfunctional storage system that would come to symbolize the chic functionality of Cappellini. That was quickly followed by a collaboration with renowned Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata for the Progetti Compiuti collection, a line that brought unexpected playfulness to the simple framework of a black-and-white cabinet and remains an iconic collectible today.
That first collaboration opened the doors to a prolific output of partnerships, with Cappellini tapping such star designers as Jasper Morrison, Marcel Wanders, Tom Dixon, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Nendo for collections over the ensuing decades that spanned a range of materials and styles. Speaking to this range, Marc Newson’s plumply curvaceous 1988 Embryo chair, Jasper Morrison’s slightly arachnoid 1987 Thinking Man’s chair and Tom Dixon’s sculptural 1991 S-chair — each quite stylistically unique — remain some of the company’s most recognizable pieces, with the latter in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Cappellini, now headquartered in Milan, continues to partner with guest designers across furniture, storage and lighting solutions, though many of its 1970s and ’80s designs remain its most coveted today.
Find vintage Cappellini furniture on 1stDibs.
1990s Italian Post-Modern Cappellini Seating
Steel, Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cappellini Seating
Metal
1990s Italian Post-Modern Cappellini Seating
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Lithuanian Modern Cappellini Seating
Fabric, Foam, Wood
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Cappellini Seating
Iron
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Cappellini Seating
Leather, Velvet
1990s Italian Post-Modern Cappellini Seating
Steel
1990s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Stainless Steel
1990s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
2010s Cappellini Seating
Leather
1980s Vintage Cappellini Seating
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Post-Modern Cappellini Seating
Plastic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Cappellini Seating
Metal
Early 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Cappellini Seating
Chrome
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cappellini Seating
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Wood, Fabric, Foam
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Foam, Wood, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal
2010s European Modern Cappellini Seating
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Cappellini Seating
Stainless Steel
2010s European Modern Cappellini Seating
Aluminum
2010s European Modern Cappellini Seating
Wood
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Cappellini Seating
Metal