Collection: Joe Colombo

Joe Colombo (Milan, 1930–1971) was one of the most visionary Italian designers of the 1960s. He first trained as a painter at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and was active in the avant-garde art scene of the early 1950s, before studying architecture at the Politecnico di Milano.

After taking over his family's electrical business, he started experimenting with new materials and production techniques, especially plastics. In 1962 he opened his own design studio in Milan. Colombo imagined flexible, mobile living environments for the future, and designed furniture and lighting that still look modern today, such as the Universale chair and the KD28 lamp for Kartell.

His best-known design is the Boby trolley (1970): a mobile storage unit in ABS with swivelling drawers and open shelves, originally meant for architects and designers, and now loved in offices, bathrooms and living rooms alike. It is still made in Italy by B-Line. Colombo died in 1971, on his 41st birthday, leaving behind an influential body of work created in barely a decade.

At I❤️DESIGN you will find the original Boby trolley in many configurations and colours, and the KD28 table lamp.