Description

When Beauty Goes Beyond Design – A Pair of Italian Rococò Revival Bedside Tables, Cantù, 1940s–1950s

At Demos Mobilia, our selection is guided not only by design movements, periods or established names, but above all by the objects themselves. Sometimes we come across pieces that fall slightly outside our usual field of interest, yet their beauty, unusual character or exceptional craftsmanship make them simply impossible to resist.

These two bedside tables are a perfect example.

Affectionately, we might call them two little bomboloni: wonderfully rounded, generously curved and almost sculptural in their proportions. Their extraordinarily convex silhouettes give them an unmistakable presence, while the richly figured walnut burl veneer and refined marquetry reveal the skill and sensitivity of the cabinetmakers who created them.

Produced in Cantù, one of Italy’s historic centres of fine furniture making, during the 1940s–1950s, they reinterpret the decorative language of the Rococo tradition through the exceptional woodworking craftsmanship of the period.

What captured our attention is precisely this combination of character and execution: the generous, almost playful shapes, the beautiful movement of the wood grain and the meticulous inlaid details. Each element contributes to their distinctive personality.

They may not belong strictly to the Mid-Century Modern vocabulary that often guides our research, but we believe that good design and exceptional craftsmanship should never be confined to a single category.

Sometimes, we simply fall in love with an object. And these two little bomboloni are certainly among those pieces.