Paolo Buffa (Milan, Italy, 1903-1970).
The furniture designed by the Milanese architect and designer Paolo Buffa is often unique, based on the needs of his clients and, for this reason, always different. What unites his pieces, in addition to the perfection of execution, is the neoclassical style Buffa absorbed during his training at Gio Ponti’s studio in the ’20s: the solid and elegant lines that Buffa applies to his furnishings maintain a sort of continuity between the 19th and the 20th century and characterize all his production. The employment of precious woods, often decorated with thin grooves on the surfaces and brass ornaments, is another recognizable feature of his pieces. His most frequent collaboration was with the historic Milanese furniture factory Quarti, with whom he designed various public and private projects for prestigious clients, such as the decor of the Mahroussa yacht of King Faruk of Egypt in 1951. In the 1960s, the designer collaborated with large-scale Italian manufacturer Cassina.