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Giovanni Offredi Side Chairs

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.

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Creator: Giovanni Offredi
Set of 10 Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia "Lens" Steel Dining Chairs
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in Queens, NY
Set of 10 Mid-Century Italian (circa Late 1960s/Early 70s) "Lens" dining chairs with stippled brown suede upholstered cushions over a chrome-plated steel tubular cantilever frame pol...
Category

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

Materials

Chrome

Mid-Century Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia Lens Dining Chairs, Set of 3
By Giovanni Offredi, Fratelli Saporiti
Located in Secaucus, NJ
Marvelous 1970s Mid-Century Modern set of 3 lens dining chairs, designed by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia in 1968. Lens chair is one of the classics of the Saporiti collectio...
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Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Giovanni Offredi Side Chairs

Materials

Steel, Chrome

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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...
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Giovanni Offredi side chairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Giovanni Offredi side chairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wool and are designed with extraordinary care. Many of the original side chairs by Giovanni Offredi were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the late 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider side chairs by Gastone Rinaldi, Giancarlo Piretti, and Mario Bellini. Prices for Giovanni Offredi side chairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,800 and can go as high as $2,800, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,800.

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