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.
Tavolino basso di giovanni offredi per saporiti italia in vetro
By Fratelli Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in Ghedi, IT
Il Tavolino Onda Saporiti 150 × 80 cm è un pezzo di design italiano puro, nato dalla matita visionaria di Giovanni Offredi negli anni '70 e prodotto da Saporiti Italia, maestro del m...
Glass
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Concrete Cantilever Coffee Table
By Giovanni Offredi, Saporiti
Located in Jensen Beach, FL
Rare coffee table designed in the late 1970s by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia.
Concrete, Metal
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...
Wood
Giovanni Offredi Onda Glass Coffee Table for Saporiti ca. 1970's
By Giovanni Offredi, Saporiti
Located in New York, NY
Classic Post Modern Italian design glass top coffee table designed by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti. This example is in good original condition, the metal base shows some oxidation, ...
Steel
$4,320Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.75 in W 51 in D 51.25 in
Italian Adjustable Maple Coffee Table by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia
By Giovanni Offredi, Saporiti
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Presenting an exceptional mid-century Italian coffee table, a true statement piece designed by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia in the 1980s. This rare table artfully combines lu...
Granite, Steel, Chrome
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Dining Table in Birdseye Maple
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in Chicago, IL
Giovanni Offredi for saporiti dining table in birdseye maple, with marquetry abstract designs on the surface.
Wood, Birdseye Maple
$3,850
H 28.55 in Dm 47.25 in
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti 'Paracarro' Dining Table in Glass and Mosaic
By Giovanni Offredi, Saporiti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti, 'Paracarro' dining table, glass, concrete, chrome-plated steel, mosaic, Italy, 1970 This sculptural dining table is designed by Giovanni Offredi for S...
Concrete, Steel, Chrome
$2,183
H 17.33 in W 34.65 in D 34.65 in
F.Lli Saporiti Mid-Century Modern Italian Walnut Coffee Table, 1960s
By Fratelli Saporiti
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Walnut coffee table, produced by F.lli Saporiti in Besnate Italy, this model is patented. " If you like it please make your offer and we will evaluate it, it couldn't be better than...
Walnut
$12,203
H 16.54 in W 86.62 in D 39.38 in
Extra Large Maple Brass Coffee Table Giovanni Offredi Saporiti 1980s
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in Paris, IDF
Designed by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia in the early 1980s, this beautiful coffee table is fully veneered with birdseye maple wood, with brass inlays on the feet. Its symmet...
Brass
$11,273
H 27.56 in W 94.49 in D 47.25 in
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Executive Desk, Italy, 1980s Maple Wood
By Giovanni Offredi, Saporiti
Located in Sacile, PN
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti, executive desk, bird’s-eye maple, Italy, 1980s. This postmodern pieces is sculptural and holds various striking elements. Firstly the execution of the...
Birdseye Maple
Giovanni Offredi Round Maple Wood Table for Saporiti Italia, 1982
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in bari, IT
Round table in maple wood designer Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia 1980s. Giovanni Offredi was born in Milan in 1927 and began his career between 1963 and 1965. He was a member ...
Maple
$4,067
H 13 in W 38.98 in D 38.98 in
Steel Coffee Table "Tebe" Model - Giovanni Offredi For Saporiti - 1970s
By Giovanni Offredi
Located in Roma, RM
Square low coffee table with a polished steel structure, featuring a recessed central opening. This vintage item is in excellent condition, showing slight signs of wear due to use, a...
Aluminum, Steel
$2,335
H 11.75 in W 53 in D 34 in
Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia Postmodern Freeform Coffee Table, 1980s
By Saporiti, Giovanni Offredi
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional postmodern free form coffee table By Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia Italy, 1980s Red lacquered tiger...
Metal
Sold
H 13 in W 38.98 in D 38.98 in
Italian Design Coffee Table in Steel by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti 1970s
By Giovanni Offredi, Saporiti
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Rare and fine quality Italian design 1970s large coffee table or sofa table by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti. The square-sized Tebe model, tab...
Steel
Giovanni Offredi "Paracarro" Coffee Table for Saporiti, Italy, 1972
By Giovanni Offredi, Saporiti
Located in Munster, NRW
Giovanni Offredi "Paracarro" Coffee Table for Saporiti, Italy 1972, measures: Ø 130cm Iconic coffee table designed by Giovanni Offredi in 1970 for Saporiti Italia. Simple and pur...
Concrete
Sold
H 16.54 in W 70.87 in D 43.31 in
Italian Crystal and Carrara Marble Square Sofa Table by Giovanni Offredi, 1970s
By Giovanni Offredi
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian crystal and Carrara marble square sofa table by Giovanni Offredi, 1970s Very thick glass sofa table with a square sectioned base and a chrom...
Crystal, Carrara Marble, Steel