1970s Italian design is having a moment: from little-known furniture pieces to legendary design experiments, lighting and even bathroom taps, the year's new launches were punctuated by reissues of pieces that help paint a picture of this unsung decade in Italian design.
The 1970s in Italian design were largely defined by 'Italy: the new domestic landscape', a 1972 MoMA exhibition that reflected on the country's culmination of creative excellence following the industrial boom that represented the post-WWII period in design. It was a look at Italian design at a time when Italian design was reviewing itself.
Italian design has always been great: it was fabulous in the 50s. It was even better in the 60s, and in the 70s, was still great, but with this undertone of anxiety
Paola Antonelli
Italian design critic Paola Antonelli, the MoMA's Senior Curator of Architecture and Design, drew a comparison between the political and social turmoil of the decade, and the current times of uncertainty. Antonelli noted how designers in the 1970s (and those taking part in the MoMA exhibition in particular) represented 'a culture that was really worried about the future of society. It's really interesting to see how designs that stemmed from a complicated moment are now being celebrated with nostalgia.
'Italian design has always been great: it was fabulous in the 50s. It was even better in the 60s, and in the 70s, was still great, but with this undertone of anxiety.'
Antonelli also explains how the evolution of Italian design throughout the second half of the last century took projects beyond their aesthetic and functionality, but made them part of a bigger domestic ecosystem (something the exhibition documented well and can be found in examples such as Joe Colombo's Total Furnishing Unit. 'It was a moment of real fervour,' concludes Antonelli. 'It had to do not with products, but rather with new ways of life. '
Great 1970s Italian design reissued for contemporary interiors
Cigno chair by Vittorio Varo, for Visionnaire
Originally conceived in the early 1970s for Visionnaire's parent company IPE, the Cigno chair by Vittorio Varo was fittingly chosen to furnish 'Déjà-Vu', a listening room curated by Marco Morandini during Milan Design Week 2026, that celebrated the decade's cultural spirit through design and music.
Parioli Cabinet by Lodovico Acerbis
A 1971 design by Acerbis founder Lodovico Acerbis, Parioli is a piece that brings architectural modularity to storage furniture. The wooden structure (in ash or walnut) disappears behind the geometry of satin stainless steel doors, whose design define the design with an expressive aesthetic informed by rigour and movement.
Sintesi by Ernesto Gismondi for Artemide
The first Artemide lamp designed by founder Ernesto Gismondi, the Sintesi brings the bare functionality that defined 1970s Italian design to the fore. A few essential components define its design, that is both practical and versatile, with two profiles that intersect to create a standing lighting object (and a wall version based on the same system). 'It’s like a magic formula and finding it is never guaranteed,' said its creator.
Alcinoo by Gae Aulenti for Artemide
Gae Aulenti's 1975 design for Artemide merges an appreciation for artisanal techniques (the mouth blown glass sphere) with an industrial language (the metal cylinder holding it). A sculptural home for an essential lighting idea, the lamp is a shell for three lightbulbs set at its base. 'It was tough, Gae has strong ideas (...)' Artemide founder Ernesto Gismondi recalled. 'And the moment you switch the lamp on, you realise she was right: the character fills the room with tiny traces of light.
T35 Trio by Pierangelo Gallotti
The 1970s marked a turning point for Italian glass brand Gallotti e Radice, who celebrated their 70th anniversary at Milan Design Week this year. In 1975, it developed a method of joining panes of glass with a simple stainless steel joint, enabling larger and more structurally complex pieces, such as the ‘T35 Trio' – a three-part coffee table set designed by Pierangelo Gallotti in 1975 – now presented in an anniversary edition in bronze-tinted tempered glass and brushed silver travertine. Text: Laura May Todd
Papero by Cini Boeri for Codiceicona
Cini Boeri's Papero was conceived in 1971 and reflects the experimental approach to craft and industrial design that defined the decade. Shaped as a duck (from which it borrows its name), the lamp features two impact-resistant opal polystyrene pieces connected by a chrome-plated steel plate with a black PVC profile.
Fachiro by Marzio Cecchi for Gufram
Marzio Cecchi's 1975 Fachiro for Gufram reflects the more playful end of the decade's design spectrum. Harsh looking but definitely comfortable to sit on thanks to the soft leather construction, the design is informed by the work of Cecchi's couturier mother and his ongoing observations of nature, and how it can dialogue with design.
Pallino by Elio Martinelli
A 1970s design by Elio Martinelli, Pallino is both playful and minimal. Dubbed 'a curious lamp' from its creator, the design of Pallino brings to mind an inquisitive character taking a peek at whoever is on the other side. 'Reintroducing Pallino means bringing back into today’s homes a touch of the formal lightness and chromatic boldness that made Italian design great,' comments Emiliana Martinelli, President of Martinelli Luce. 'It means choosing an object with a story to tell, one that still looks ahead together with those who own it.'
Joe Colombo for Mamoli
Joe Colombo's design was firmly rooted in the idea that 'all the objects needed in a house should be integrated with the usable spaces; hence, they no longer ought to be called furnishings but ‘equipment.’ His Total Furnishing Unit was originally presented at the exhibition 'Italy: The New Domestic Landscape' and among a bigger design idea for domestic living, it introduced the humble tap not just as accessory, but as 'an integral part of both the space and the domestic experience'. Mamoli's reissue of the tap design is only slightly updated for modern use, and reflects Colombo's idea of a home based on functionality.