Paolo Buffa Ribbed Buffet for Serafino Arrighi, 1952

Design
1952

Manufacture
1950-1959

Location
Lonigo, IT

Paolo Buffa Ribbed Buffet for Serafino Arrighi, wood, Italy, 1952.

Architectural yet richly ornamental, this sculptural buffet designed by Paolo Buffa for Serafino Arrighi in 1952 distills the essence of Italian mid-century mastery. The façade is composed of four ribbed doors, each carved with impeccable rhythm and adorned with Buffa’s signature round brass pulls—discreet yet unmistakably refined.

The structure is softened by rounded edges and sculpted corners, a subtle counterpoint to the vertical rigor of the fluted surface. Elevated on sleek, double-profiled legs, the cabinet seems to hover—light on its feet yet undeniably present. It’s this interplay of form and detail, weight and levity, that defines Buffa’s postwar language.

Paolo Buffa was a central figure in the evolution of Italian design, bridging the elegance of Art Deco with the modernist sensibility emerging in 1950s Milan. His long-standing partnership with Lombardy-based cabinetmaker Serafino Arrighi gave rise to exceptional custom pieces where architecture meets decoration, and tradition meets innovation.

A collector’s piece with rare presence, this sideboard sits comfortably beside the works of Osvaldo Borsani and Guglielmo Ulrich—yet carries Buffa’s unmistakable clarity and composure.