GIo Ponti walnut occasional table for the Cavalieri Hotel in Milan, Italy, 1950s

A side table in walnut designed by Gio Ponti, originating from the Hotel dei Cavalieri in Milan.

This refined side table is a prestigious piece of furniture conceived by Gio Ponti for the interiors of the Hotel dei Cavalieri in Milan. This structure, still admired today for its distinctly twentieth-century architecture, was built in 1949 based on the designs of Emilio Lancia, with significant contributions from Ponti.

The palace, an icon of Milanese history, retains its contemporary relevance, dominating Piazza Missori with its distinctive curved facade and contributing daily to city life. Around a hundred windows adorned with diamond-shaped decorations open onto civic number 1, housing the lobby of the prestigious hotel.

Before entering the lobby, a gaze upwards reveals four stone bas-reliefs symbolically depicting Work, Fable, Idea, and Rest. It is likely that this table, bearing Ponti's signature, completed the furnishing of a hotel room dedicated to relaxation and conviviality, perhaps a game room, a bright reading room, or a cozy lounge.

The table continues to fulfill its original functions, adding pleasant moments throughout the day when placed in a new context. All of this is accompanied by a particular sensation that only a collectible piece, rich in echoes of social history and design, can bring to an interior.

Currently offered in excellent and professionally restored condition, the table includes the original stamped metal plaque. This plaque, in addition to the Hotel dei Cavalieri logo, displays the inventory number of items present in the hotel in the mid-fifties.

The dimensions of the furniture are: 65 x 69 x 78.5. A piece that continues to tell its story, carrying the legacy of Gio Ponti and the prestigious atmosphere of the Hotel dei Cavalieri in Milan.