Buffa Paolo

Biography

Paolo Buffa was an Italian architect and designer. Characterized by a melding of tradition and modernity, he used a combination of low-profile, rectilinear, and hardwood forms to produce his most classic pieces. His style range was extensive, taking on groundbreaking commissions in both architectural and furniture design.

Born in 1903 in Milan, Italy, Buffa studied at the Polytechnic Institute of Milan before working for the prominent Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti. After opening a firm with his frequent collaborator Antonio Cassi Ramelli, Buffa's career grew in critical and commercial acclaim. The designer's oeuvre includes exhibitions at the 1948 Salon des Artistes Decorateur in Paris.

Before his death in 1970 in Milan, Italy, Buffa had been named one of the most important designers in the country.

"Whether he was producing furnishings for a swish ski-resort hotel or constructing gracious villas for the haute bourgeoisie of Italy's northern Lombardy region, where he lived, Buffa's work was marked by unmistakable suavity."

Mitchell Owens: Rediscovering Paolo Buffa's Midcentury Designs