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.
Credenza modello Lenox di Giovanni Offredi per Saporiti Italia
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in Ghedi, IT
La Credenza Lenox progettata da Giovanni Offredi per Saporiti Italia negli anni ’70 rappresenta uno dei capolavori iconici del design italiano postmoderno e radicale. Realizzata con ...
Hardwood
Italy modern Glass and cast iron Consoles by Offredi for Saporiti, 1970s
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in MIlano, IT
Italy modern glass and cast iron consoles by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia, 1970s Pair of consoles with semi-oval top in thick glass. The cast iron base is composed by an upp...
Metal
Dunbar Credenza
By Dunbar Furniture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This vintage modern Dunbar credenza features a lacquered hard wood base, spacious interior cabinets, and unique metal pulls. This beautiful Mid-Century piece is...
Wood
$2,825Sale Price|31% Off
H 35.44 in W 58.27 in D 14.97 in
Midcentury Italian Mirror Console Table with Marble Top and Base
By Cantu
Located in Albano Laziale, Rome/Lazio
Significant lacquered parchment and marble console table made in Cantu, Italy in 1959. Cantú was for a long time a center for furniture production of importance designed by great des...
Marble
$7,063
H 29.53 in W 96.46 in D 19.69 in
Vittorio Introini “Pellicano” Sideboard for Saporiti, Italy, 1960s
By Vittorio Introini, Silvio Coppola
Located in amstelveen, NL
Italian modern “Pellicano” sideboard designed by Vittorio Introini for Saporiti, circa 1960s. This long, credenza features a beautifully proportioned architectural form, finished in...
Ash, Lacquer
$1,174Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.5 in W 84.65 in D 17.72 in
Saporiti Minimal 1970 Sideboard in Solid Chestnut Drawers and Doors
By Saporiti
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Saporiti minimal 1970 sideboard in solid chestnut drawers and doors.
Chestnut
$7,450
H 33.27 in W 78.55 in D 21.07 in
Giovanni Michelucci for Poltronova 'Torbecchia' Sideboard in Walnut
By Michele de Lucchi, Poltronova
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Giovanni Michelucci for Poltronova, 'Torbecchia' sideboard, walnut, Italy, 1964 This exquisite Torbecchia sideboard, created by the artist Giovanni Michelucci (1891-1990), is a true...
Walnut
Caleno Sideboard by Giovanni Ausenda for Stilwood, 1960s
By Giovanni Ausenda, Stilwood
Located in Brussels, BE
Caleno Sideboard by Giovanni Ausenda for Stilwood, 1960s
Wood
$2,330 / set
H 15.75 in W 27.56 in D 27.56 in
Set of Two "Inlay" Night Stands by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti, Italy, 1980s
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in Milan, IT
Set of two "Inlay" nightstands - chest of drawers by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti. Extremely capable deep drawers, burnished brass details and iridescent wood surfaces. Also availab...
Wood
$3,395
H 34.5 in W 63 in D 24 in
Italian Neoclassical Style Carved Mahogany W/ Ram Sideboard Console Table
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a statement piece! This is a 1940s carved mahogany hunt board with a sculpted top and a single drawer with dovetail construction. It has a ...
Mahogany
Giovanni Offredi Saporiti bookcase in maple Italy 1978
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
‘Crossing’ bookcase designed by Giovanni Offredi and manufactured by Saporiti Italia, Italy, 1978. This exceptional and large-scale work is a prime example of Offredi’s ability to me...
Glass, Birdseye Maple
$13,889
H 66.93 in W 82.68 in D 18.9 in
Italy Mid-Century Sideboard Credenza by Paolo Buffa per Palazzi dell'Arte Cantù
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Italian Paolo Buffa credenza of the 1940s, in massive walnut and veneer rosewood chessboard. Shaped top mirror, black lacquered glass top, four doors with internal shelf, original gi...
Brass
$2,943
H 25.2 in W 53.15 in D 22.05 in
Italian chest of drawers by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti 1980s
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in Padova, IT
CONDITION: Very good with small, inevitable signs of age and use. A small amount of discoloration on the top, highlighted in the photos, is due to an object being placed on top. Bur...
Brass
CraftAssociates Credenza, Milo Baughman Credenza, Walnut
By Milo Baughman, Craft Associates
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
CraftAssociates Credenza, Milo Baughman Credenza, Walnut The Milo Baughman Walnut Sideboard for Craft Associates® Furniture is expertly crafted. This piece can be customized in size...
Wood, Walnut
Sold
H 24.41 in W 98.43 in D 25.6 in
Sideboard Model "Birds-Eye" in Maple by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti, 1970s
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in Hellouw, NL
Saporiti's darling Giovanni Offredi showed with this 1970s sideboard from the 'Birds-Eye' series that he remained true to his modernist view on design. As a great critic of the rise ...
Maple
Credenza by Giovanni Offredi for Tosi, Italy, 1970s
By Giovanni Offredi
Located in Hellouw, NL
Impressive and Unique Credenza by Giovanni Offredi for Tosi from the 'Antologia Series' from Italy, 1970s. This credenza has an Art Deco style, however is from a later period. The design has round shapes on the edges and beautifully detailed handles. The credenza is also very practical with four doors, multiple shelves, and four drawers. The top middle shelf has a tambour door. The credenza is in good condition and made of plywood and maple. The three small vertical shelves...
Maple, Plywood
Sold
H 24.41 in W 98.43 in D 25.6 in
Saporiti 'Bird's Eye' Maple Sideboard by Giovanni Offredi, Italy, 1950s
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in Pijnacker, Zuid-Holland
Gorgeous and large maple burl 'bird’s eye' wood sideboard. Coated in beautiful high-gloss acrylic varnish. This makes it almost come alive and together with the Birds Eye maple gives...
Metal
Radica Sideboard by Giovanni Offredi
By Giovanni Offredi, Giorgio Saporiti
Located in Munich, DE
Beautiful sideboard designed by Giovanni Offredi and made by Saporiti, Italy 1975. Stunning “Radica” burl-wood coated in acrylic. Brass handles and legs.
Brass