Giovanni Offredi Stairs
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.
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Brass
19th Century English Antique Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Birdseye Maple
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIII Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Rustic Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Pine
1940s Italian Vintage Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Brass
Early 20th Century English Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Leather, Mahogany
18th Century Italian Antique Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Walnut
1910s English Edwardian Vintage Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Pine
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Walnut
19th Century British Georgian Antique Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Mahogany, Leather
20th Century English Late Victorian Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century Giovanni Offredi Stairs
Oak
