The Design Genius of Paolo Buffa

Among the protagonists of the Live Auction “Design Properties,” scheduled for Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at the Milan headquarters of Cambi Casa d’Aste: the flair and design ability of Paolo Buffa (1903-1970), a Milanese designer and architect active between the 1930s and 1960s, known for his design capable of blending neoclassical style with Art Deco motifs and modernist principles.

Born and raised in Milan, Buffa studied architecture at the city’s famous Politecnico, where he graduated in 1927. Trained later in the studio of Ponti and Lancia, from where he drew the neoclassical elements of inspiration, Buffa founded his own design studio with Cassi Ramelli in 1928. While also devoting himself to the creation of housing works, Paolo Buffa best expresses his genius in furniture design, a field where he remains constant, almost by innate vocation, to a repertoire of evident classicism, which has its origin in the neoclassicism typical of the “Milanese school.” 

Designing for the upper classes, Buffa’s products are made in the finest and highest quality materials, collaborating with talented cabinetmakers such as Mario Quarti, and skilled craftsmen. Buffa succeeds in introducing modern techniques to the design scene of the early 1940s. The evolution of Buffa’s progressively more modern aesthetics and style is very clear and straightforward; from the neoclassical furniture of the early days, with its complex and intricate decorations, Buffa comes to design in the 1960s essential armchairs and consoles with pure lines.

The solid, elegant lines that Buffa applies to his furniture are found in the two unprecedented armchairs with woven wood frames and cushions with fabric covers from the 1950s, among the top lots at auction at Design Properties. But also in the linear chairs and iconic ebonized wood secretaire, the imposing solid wood dining table, and the highly contemporary nightstands and storage furniture.