Melissa Bedroom Set, design Fabio Lenci for Ellisse, Italy, ca 1970

Italian designer Fabio Lenci’s bold Space Age furniture exudes a spirit of adventure and playfulness. Experimenting with plexiglass for the framework of his famous Hyaline lounge chairs and sofas, for instance, he made seating that creates the illusion of a sitter suspended in the air.

Lenci was born in 1935 in Rome, where his father was an industrial manufacturer. He initially entered the Italian Air Force and later pursued decorating and product design. Lenci’s career took shape in 1962 and he quickly made a name for himself, winning the Trieste award in 1965 for his innovative kitchen design.

In the late 1960s, and throughout the ’70s, Lenci collaborated extensively with Bernini and Italian lighting company Guzzini. The latter partnership produced an array of more than 400 pendants, floor lamps, table lamps and other fixtures that look like lighting from the future.

In 2016, Lenci received the prestigious Compasso d'Oro award for a lifetime of forward-looking design. His pieces are found in museums throughout the world, including a Chain armchair in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He has created hundreds of products over the course of his career and continues to design out of his studio in Rome, and his work is celebrated by critics and collectors everywhere. 

On 1stDibs, explore Fabio Lenci’s futuristic tables, seating and lighting.