Gino Russo Carved Wood & Slate Floating Credenza

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Description

This floating credenza by Gino Russo is characterized by a long, horizontal wall-mounted form with a slate top and a … Read more This floating credenza by Gino Russo is characterized by a long, horizontal wall-mounted form with a slate top and a wooden case below. The slate surface is flat and trapezoidal, providing a durable and visually contrasting upper plane. Beneath it, the wood cabinetry is composed of vertically aligned panels, each displaying free flow carvings and irregular lower edges that follow the organic contours of the material. The panels open to two cabinets, holding an inner shelf and a center cabinet holding three drawers.

The design emphasizes clean lines and material contrast, with no visible hardware. Its wall-mounted construction reduces visual mass and allows the credenza to occupy space efficiently while maintaining a strong linear presence. The piece reflects a focus on material quality, proportion, and straightforward construction, consistent with contemporary approaches to functional furniture design.

Signed on the upper surface beneath the slate top “Gino New Britain, PA ‘73”

This piece is heavy and will need to be mounted or anchored to a supportable wall.


Gino Russo (1928–2010) was an influential Italian-American furniture designer and craftsman whose work is distinguished within the American studio furniture movement. Born in Luzzi, Italy, into a long lineage of woodcraft artisans, Russo immigrated to the United States where he honed his craft through a fourteen-year apprenticeship with George Nakashima in New Hope, Pennsylvania, a central figure in post-war American woodworking.

Russo’s design philosophy diverged from conventional European and American modernism: he articulated an “impressionistic or free flow” approach that respected the intrinsic forms and natural characteristics of wood, incorporating, rather than negating, organic variations in grain and structure.

After establishing his own practice and later a New York City showroom through his partnership with interior designer Richard Rothbard, Russo produced original, site-specific works that blurred the boundary between functional furniture and sculptural craft. His oeuvre, which often utilized fine woods such as burr oak, Persian walnut, and American walnut, reflects a commitment to material integrity, bespoke production, and the integration of traditional techniques with modernist sensibilities.

Base measures: 84” w x 17” d x 20.5” h
Slate top measures: 96” w x 19” d x 1” h See less