A superb bookcase or room divider produced in the 1960s by Arform, designed by Paolo Tilche. Wooden uprights, black painted wood end pieces, adjustable black terminals all of which can be arranged and assembled according to the user’s needs. The design is often refernced as “cielo-terra“ (literally translates to “sky-earth”) because the bookcase stretches from the floor to the ceiling. It has quite a lot of play in terms of the height (from about 280cm to about 310cm) which means it should fit most modern properties. As such, it can be used as a wall unit but also as a room divider, thus offering an elegant and ingenious way of creating zones within a large space or simply an elegant bookshelf, all the while maintaining an Italian retro chic which so characterises Paolo Tilche’s work.

The unit is of extremely high quality, with screws and detailing in brass and also combines a small drawer unit and a drinks cabinet. A wonderful way of uplifting any room with a style that is both vintage and contemporary.

Paolo Tilche (1925–2003) was born in Egypt. He graduated from the Politecnico di Milano in 1949 and then worked as an architect. In 1950, he began his career as an architect and made numerous residential, industrial, and office designs, but one of his most acclaimed designs is the Hotel Raya in Panarea.

He was a member of the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (ADI) and became better known for his industrial and furniture designs and for the use of innovative shapes. He designed lighting and glassware (with Barbini), plastic and wooden furniture (with Artform), and kitchenware (with Fratelli Guzzini).

In 1955, he opened a Milan-based design store called Arform and dedicated himself to the design industry. To this day the store still sells objects and furniture designed by Tilche and other international designers.

Condition: some marks and scratches consummate with age, overall very good condition. Please refer to photographs.

Dimensions: 294cm high, 175cm wide, 40cm deep (as seen in photographs). Height can be reduced by a further 14cm and extended by a further 14cm, plus another 5cm approximately using the extendable pads at the top and bottom of the shelving unit. Depth of the largest shelves are 22cm, the shallowest shelves are 22cm. Width of the shelves is 80cm. Bar cabinet is 45cm high, 30cm deep. Drawer cabinet is 20cm high. Frame width and depth: 4.5cm x 11cm.