Anatomy of a Find: My $25,000 Fornasetti Desk

More about this find-of-a-lifetime

First off, I have a lot of new subscribers lately which is incredible! Let me direct you around quickly. I’m a full-time writer for People magazine, a professional vintage shopping expert, and the author of the best-selling book, Big Thrift Energy. Each Sunday, I release a newsletter about vintage — in the past, that means sharing my secret shopping spots, travel shopping guides for various destinations, or recent thrift finds. I also have a fun new series in which I share the best things other people have thrifted (lots more special guests lined up, so stay tuned!)

Okay, now on to the new stuff.

I recently found an absolutely insane piece in the wild: a Gio Ponti-designed, Fornasetti-produced desk, covered in a lacquered butterfly pattern and with brass legs. The shape is so sexy and the pattern is breathtaking.

the desk

Let’s talk about the history of this desk, which is unique in that marries an iconic Italian designer (Gio Ponti) and an iconic Italian luxury brand (Fornasetti).

the back view

Gio Ponti was an architect and furniture designer who grew to be one of the most influential figures in Italian modernism before his death in 1979. Throughout his expansive, six-decade-long career, he designed buildings (including the Denver Museum of Art) as well as furniture and objects. You likely recognize some of his most iconic designs.

Ponti with some of his most iconic designs

In the late 1930s, Ponti began collaborating with the Italian graphic artist Piero Fornasetti, who was known for his whimsical illustrations. He designed the first cover of Ponti’s magazine, Domus, and in the 1940s, the two began collaborating on case goods and interior design projects. Even today, Fornasetti the company produces the Ponti x Fornasetti pieces, but only in very limited quantities (and the patterns change so, the butterfly desk was only made on certain years). And while Ponti and Fornasetti are no longer alive, their collaborative pieces are made the same way. Per the Fornasetti brand itself, “The different stages of production follow the Atelier’s original processes and require 7 months for the creation of a piece of furniture.”

Fornasetti and some of his designs, including the first cover of Domus and a Ponti x Fornasetti chest.

The Ponti x Fornasetti furnishings were in the sleek shapes for which the architect was best known — but decorated with the shiny lacquer and whimsical transfer prints that put Fornasetti on the map.

But back to the desk.