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Giovanni Offredi

Italian, 1927-2007

Of his mid-century modern furniture designs, which marry minimalist simplicity with elegance and symmetry, Italian designer Giovanni Offredi once said: “Beauty should not be confused with appearance, since the latter is the superficial part of the form.”   

Born in Milan, in 1927, Offredi did not pursue formal education as an architect, unlike many of his contemporaries in the first half of the 20th century. He also did not begin designing furniture until later in his career. His earliest known furnishings were commissioned by wealthy Milanese families in 1960.

It wasn’t until the late 1960s — when Offredi met Sergio Saporiti, owner of Italian furniture manufacturer and design shop Saporiti — that his furniture designs would become more prominent. In 1970, Offredi entered into a partnership with Saporiti, producing several innovative and modernistic furniture lines. 

Among Offredi’s most notable pieces are the gently curving Wave chair, sofa and lounge chair, the Onda coffee table and the Paracarro dining room table, with its cylindrical concrete base, glass top and metal cross section. He also designed a series of credenzas and sideboards in lacquered wood, featuring a high gloss finish and bold colors.

Offredi enjoyed a successful collaboration with Saporiti throughout the 1970s. In 1984, he began a partnership with Italian cabinet and kitchen manufacturer Snaidero, designing modern kitchens. His final kitchen design, Kube, in 2006, featured streamlined forms, contrasting materials and colors and a recessed aluminum toe kick with a reflective mirror finish, which made the kitchen appear suspended above the ground. The kitchen won a Good Design Award from the Chicago Design Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, in 2008. Offredi never had the opportunity to accept that prize — he died in 2007.

Although Offredi’s works are relatively obscure, they are sought out by in-the-know furniture collectors and enthusiasts worldwide. 

On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Giovanni Offredi chairs, tables, case pieces and storage cabinets.

Average Sold Price
$3,947
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Corner Sofa in Light Blue Upholstery
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Corner Sofa in Light Blue Upholstery

Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Corner Sofa in Light Blue Upholstery

By Alberto Rosselli Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi

Located in Waalwijk, NL

Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti, corner sofa, lacquered wood, metal, fabric, Italy, 1970s. Magnificent corner sofa designed by Italian designer Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti. The ric...

Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Giovanni Offredi

Materials

Metal

1980 Large coffee table by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti
1980 Large coffee table by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti

1980 Large coffee table by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti

By Giovanni Offredi

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

Large coffee table in speckled maple veneer. Comprising a large speckled maple veneer top with rounded edges. The base consists of four cylindrical semicircles, embellished at the b...

Category

1880s Italian Antique Giovanni Offredi

Materials

Wood

Bed Double Leather Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Wave Model Midcentury Italy 80s
Bed Double Leather Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Wave Model Midcentury Italy 80s

Bed Double Leather Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Wave Model Midcentury Italy 80s

By Giovanni Offredi, Saporiti

Located in Palermo, IT

The "Vela" double bed, an icon of Italian design, created by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia around 1980. The bed features a metal frame with modern, minimalist lines. The gener...

Category

1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Giovanni Offredi

Materials

Metal

Set of 4 "Lens" Chairs by G. Offredi Blue Velvet and Chrome, Saporiti Italy 1968
Set of 4 "Lens" Chairs by G. Offredi Blue Velvet and Chrome, Saporiti Italy 1968

Set of 4 "Lens" Chairs by G. Offredi Blue Velvet and Chrome, Saporiti Italy 1968

$2,556Sale Price / set|20% Off

H 29.93 in W 22.05 in D 24.41 in

Set of 4 "Lens" Chairs by G. Offredi Blue Velvet and Chrome, Saporiti Italy 1968

By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi

Located in Roma, IT

Marvellous midcentury armchairs with tubular steel structure and seats. "Lens" model was designed by Giovanni Offredi and produced for Saporiti, around 1968 in Italy. These items are made of a stunning new stain-resistant, fire-retardant petrol blue velvet. A magnificent and iconic set that will be perfect for a living room or study, thanks to the brightness of the chromed steel structure. These pieces are in amazing vintage conditions as shown in the photos. The shipping quote refers to the chairs shipped with the seating disassembled from the chrome base. Giovanni Offredi (born 1927, Milan–died 2007, Milan) was a prominent Italian furniture and product designer of the second half of the 20th century. As opposed to most of the other Italian furniture designers of his time, Giovanni Offredi was not an architect, nor did he start designing early in his professional career. Instead, Offredi partially fits the career path of some of the talented contemporary designers who pursue product design outside of a formal education in architecture. The earliest furniture design work known by Giovanni Offredi consists of exemplary furnishings made specifically for some of the wealthy families in Milan. Such is the case of the works done by Offredi for Casa C., in 1960, in Gorgonzola, a small town 14 miles from Milan. These works were designed with a surprisingly minimal simplicity and elegance, and they also clearly display a hallmark of his design work with the use of angular lines and exposed metal or wood frames—not unlike some of the modern Scandinavian design of the time. In the late 1960s, Giovanni Offredi met Sergio Saporiti, the owner of Italian design shop and furniture maker Saporiti, and in 1970, Offredi formalized a partnership with the furniture maker. This partnership would be long and successful and resulted in many furniture designs of distinct precision that were clearly modern and innovative and that went on to enjoy considerable commercial success. The most prominent furniture designs that Offredi made for Saporiti include the Paracarro table...

Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Giovanni Offredi

Materials

Steel, Stainless Steel, Chrome

Pair of Matching Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Leather Wave Sofas
Pair of Matching Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Leather Wave Sofas

Pair of Matching Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Leather Wave Sofas

By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi

Located in Middlesex, NJ

Pair of Matching Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Leather Wave Sofas

Category

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Giovanni Offredi

Materials

Stainless Steel

Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Dining Chairs
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Dining Chairs

Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Dining Chairs

$1,650 / set

H 34 in W 18 in D 20 in

Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Dining Chairs

By Giovanni Offredi

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

A set of 4 Saporiti Sled Chairs Original Upholstery

Category

1970s Italian Vintage Giovanni Offredi

Materials

Upholstery

Saporiti Italia "Wave" Sofa by Giovanni Offredi 1970s
Saporiti Italia "Wave" Sofa by Giovanni Offredi 1970s

Saporiti Italia "Wave" Sofa by Giovanni Offredi 1970s

By Fratelli Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi

Located in Dallas, TX

Designed in 1974 by Giovanni Offredi, "Wave" three seat sofa. Since 1950 Saporiti has produced some of the most sophisticated and advanced pieces of furniture in the history of Itali...

Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Giovanni Offredi

Materials

Steel

Saporiti Italia Two Seater "Wave" Sofa by Giovanni Offredi 1970s
Saporiti Italia Two Seater "Wave" Sofa by Giovanni Offredi 1970s

Saporiti Italia Two Seater "Wave" Sofa by Giovanni Offredi 1970s

By Fratelli Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi

Located in Dallas, TX

Designed in 1974 by Giovanni Offredi, "Wave" two seat sofa / settee. Since 1950 Saporiti has produced some of the most sophisticated and advanced pieces of furniture in the history o...

Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Giovanni Offredi

Materials

Steel

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Giovanni Offredi Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2026$3,680Lounge ChairsSteel, LeatherMid Century
2026$2,500Dining Room ChairsFabric1970s
2026$4,415Dining Room TablesGlass, Chrome, Concrete1970-1979
2026$4,500ArmchairsSteel1974
2025$3,000Lounge ChairsUpholstery, Chrome1960s
2025$3,042Dining Room TablesGlass, Chrome, Concrete1970
2025$7,650Lounge ChairsUpholstery, Chromec1970s
2025$3,315Lounge Chairs, Chaise LonguesFabric, Chrome1970s
2025$1,733Drop-leaf and Pembroke TablesSteel, Maple1980
2025$4,200Center Tables, Dining Room TablesSteel, Chrome, Concrete1970s
2025$6,748Dining Room TablesGlass, Art Glass, Chrome, Concrete1970
2025$4,320Coffee and Cocktail Tables, TablesTravertinecirca 1970s
2025$3,551ArmchairsFaux Leatherunkown
2025$1,000Coffee and Cocktail TablesMetal, Ash1970s
$3,947
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$1,000-$8,017
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Creators Similar to Giovanni Offredi

Giovanni Offredi furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Giovanni Offredi furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Giovanni Offredi furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Giovanni Offredi were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Cini Boeri, Vivai del Sud, and Gastone Rinaldi. Prices for Giovanni Offredi furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $329 and can go as high as $24,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,800.