1970s Black Boby Trolley by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast
About the Item
- Creator:Joe Colombo (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)Depth: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Space Age (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:San Gabriel, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9205236413092
Joe Colombo
He died tragically young, and his career as a designer lasted little more than 10 years. But through the 1960s, Joe Colombo proved himself one of the field’s most provocative and original thinkers, and he produced a remarkably large array of innovative chairs, table lamps and other lighting and furniture as well as product designs. Even today, the creations of Joe Colombo have the power to surprise.
Cesare “Joe” Colombo was born in Milan, the son of an electrical-components manufacturer. He was a creative child — he loved to build huge structures from Meccano pieces — and in college he studied painting and sculpture before switching to architecture.
In the early 1950s, Colombo made and exhibited paintings and sculptures as part of an art movement that responded to the new Nuclear Age, and futuristic thinking would inform his entire career. He took up design not long after his father fell ill in 1958, and he and his brother, Gianni, were called upon to run the family company.
Colombo expanded the business to include the making of plastics — a primary material in almost all his later designs. One of his first, made in collaboration with his brother, was the Acrilica table lamp (1962), composed of a wave-shaped piece of clear acrylic resin that diffused light cast by a bulb concealed in the lamp’s metal base. A year later, Colombo produced his best-known furniture design, the Elda armchair (1963): a modernist wingback chair with a womb-like plastic frame upholstered in thick leather pads.
Portability and adaptability were keynotes of many Colombo designs, made for a more mobile society in which people would take their living environments with them. One of his most striking pieces is the Tube chair (1969). It comprises four foam-padded plastic cylinders that fit inside one another. The components, which are held together by metal clips, can be configured in a variety of seating shapes (his Additional Living System seating is similarly versatile).
Vintage Tube chairs generally sell for about $9,000 in good condition; Elda chairs for about $7,000. A small Colombo design such as the plastic Boby trolley — an office organizer on wheels, designed in 1970 — is priced in the range of $700.
As Colombo intended, his designs are best suited to a modern decor. If your tastes run to sleek, glossy Space Age looks, the work of Joe Colombo offers you a myriad of choices.
Find vintage Joe Colombo lamps, seating and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: San Gabriel, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- 1960s Lusch Erzeugnis Tulip Table by Joe ColomboBy Joe ColomboLocated in San Gabriel, CA1960s cream tulip end or coffee table designed by Joe Colombo for Lusch Erzeugnis. Made in Germany. The table, given the name 'tulip' with reference to the table’s base shape, featur...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsPlastic
- 1970s White with Red Bar Cart Trolley by Pierre Cardin for SimoBy Pierre CardinLocated in San Gabriel, CA1970s exceedingly rare bar cart designed by Pierre Cardin for Simo. Pierre Cardin maker’s mark throughout. It is versatile and lightweight, yet has a strong plastic construction. Som...Category
Vintage 1970s French Space Age Dry Bars
MaterialsPlastic
- 1970s Bar Trolley Cart in the Style of Marcello Siard for GameBy Marcello SiardLocated in San Gabriel, CA1970s Cream plastic bar trolley attributed to Marcello Siard for Game. Made in Italy. The bottom piece with wheels has been replaced, so no markings are present. Casters work well. I...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age End Tables
MaterialsMetal
- 1970s 33m Grey Chairs by Richard Ogg for EmecoBy EmecoLocated in San Gabriel, CA1970s 33m chairs by Richard Ogg for Emeco. Perforated plastic. Good condition with some wear to plastic and chrome. Six available and sold individually.Category
Vintage 1970s American Space Age Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- 1980s Yellow Desk Chair by Anna Anselmi for BieffeplastBy BieffeplastLocated in San Gabriel, CA1980s Teen desk chair designed by Anna Anselmi for Beiffeplast, made in Padova, Italy. The adjustable chair, especially in this color, is extremely rare. Only a few remain in circula...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1970s Modular Stacking Red-Black-White Colorway Wine Rack by KartellBy KartellLocated in San Gabriel, CA1970s rare stacking wine rack. In perfect condition with original paper tag attached, as well as manufacturer's stamp on each level. One black, one white, a...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Dry Bars
MaterialsPlastic
- Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast Boby TrolleyBy Joe Colombo, BieffeplastLocated in Byron Bay, NSWItalian modern red plastic storage trolley Boby, on wheels, by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast in 1968. Iconic and very useful in all environments, Boby model storage trolley with stru...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsPlastic
- Brown 'Boby' trolley by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast, Italy 1970'sBy Joe Colombo, BieffeplastLocated in Steenwijk, NLThis “Boby” trolley or portable storage system was designed by Joe Colombo in 1969. A very handy trolley made of ABS plastic. It has many storage options such as the fold-out shelves...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsPlastic
- Boby trolley designed by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast, 1970.By Joe Colombo, BieffeplastLocated in FERROL, ESBoby trolley designed by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast, 1970. With different storage compartments and 3 drawers. Made of ABS plastic in red. In good condition, some marks on the pla...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Cabinets
MaterialsPlastic
- Joe Colombo ''Boby 3'' Italian Portable Storage System for Bieffeplast, 1960sBy Joe Colombo, BieffeplastLocated in Roma, ITDesigned in 1969, Joe Colombo’s iconic "Boby 3" portable storage system was produced by Italian manufacturer Bieffeplast makes savvy use of space with its swivel design. This compact caddy is featured in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but it’s perfect at home in domestic settings, offering ample storage with swing-out drawer trays provide and cubby holes for taller items. A one-of-a-kind piece that will complete a studio or a midcentury office. Measures (cm): height - 74 depth - 41 width - 43 Born in Milan in 1930, designer Cesare Colombo—who went by Joe—was the second of three brothers. His father, Giuseppe, was an industrialist who inherited a ribbon factory and turned it into an electrical conductor manufacturer. Colombo came to design relatively late, having spent most of his twenties pursuing painting and sculpture. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Brera, Milan, in the early 1950s. While there, he joined the Movimento Nucleare, an avant-garde art movement founded by Enrico Baj and Sergio Dangelo in 1951. Spurred on by international anxiety surrounding the nuclear bomb, this group of painters aimed to break free of the static boundaries of traditional painting. In 1953, Colombo made his first foray into design by creating a decorative ceiling for a Milan jazz club. In 1954, he made a series of television shrines for the Milan Trienniale. Inspired by these experiences, Colombo enrolled as an architecture student at Milan Polytechnic. When his father became ill in 1958, Colombo abandoned painting altogether; he and his younger brother, Gianni, took over the family business, using the factory as an experimental space for the latest production techniques and materials, including fiberglass, PVC, and polyethylene. In 1962, Colombo opened a design studio in Milan, from which he worked primarily on architectural commissions—including several ski lodges and mountain hotels—as well as product design. His furniture designs were characterized by optimistically bold, round forms, and he championed the notion of using modern technologies to create new design solutions. Colombo’s design career was cut tragically short in 1971 when he died of heart failure at age 41. However, he was remarkably prolific during his near decade as a designer. Notable projects include some of the most iconic designs of the 1960s, such as his 1963 Elda Armchair, made completely of fiberglass; the 1964 Ragno outdoor light, which doubled as a seat; the stackable Universale chair (1965/67), which came in varying heights and was created completely from polypropylene; his 1967 modular furniture series known as the Additional Living System, which was composed of different-size curved pieces that could be pinned together in various configurations to form chairs, sofas, or entire living areas, and which ultimately included the famous 1969 Tubo lounge chair; and the Optic alarm clock and Bobby trolley...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsPlastic
- Red Boby cart by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast 60s, 70sBy BieffeplastLocated in Padova, ITBoby is much more than a simple container, it is the container trolley that has made design history. Functionality and detail represent its strong points which, together with its und...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsPlastic
- Vintage Boby Trolley by Joe ColomboBy Joe ColomboLocated in Philadelphia, PAItalian Post modern plastic storage Boby trolley by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast. designed in 1968. Iconic design, Logo and signature present. features several storage compartments a...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Cabinets
MaterialsPlastic