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Osvaldo Borsani Furniture

Italian, 1911-1985

With his stylish and technically innovative furniture, Osvaldo Borsani helped change the face of Italian design in the 1950s and ’60s. His sofas and chairs, featuring deeply upholstered seating and adjustable position settings, have an aura of optimism and efficiency that still seems fresh and lively today.

Born in the commune of Varedo in northern Italy’s Lombardy region, Borsani studied at the Brera Academy in Milan — the same school attended by such luminaries as designer Piero Fornasetti and artist Lucio Fontana — as well as the Polytechnic University of Milan. Borsani first worked for his father’s furniture-making firm, Arredamenti Borsani, an atelier influenced by the more expressive and curvaceous wing of Art Deco design. By 1953, when, along with his twin brother, Fulgenzio — the pair also created this visionary mid-century villa — Borsani opened the furniture company Tecno, his design sensibilities had evolved toward furnishings with strong, simple forms enhanced by mechanical innovations, as with the P40 adjustable armchair (1953). Borsani would be the firm’s lead designer for 30 years, while fostering work by Vico Magistretti, Carlo di Carli, Robin Day and others.

Similar to Gio Ponti in the earliest years of his career, Borsani first created designs marked by lush and buoyant lines: tables with voluptuous curved legs, sofas with undulating backrests. But Borsani’s best-known and most novel pieces date from Tecno’s initial furniture lines: the adjustable D70 sofa, which folds open to make a daybed, and the P40 recliner. The latter — now included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum — is an articulated lounger with a back, seat and leg rest that can be moved into 486 different positions. Not only is it extremely comfortable, it is also enduringly chic.

Find a collection of vintage Osvaldo Borsani tables, dining chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Osvaldo Borsani
Dealer: Artistic & myArtistic
1930s Art Deco Commode in Burl Walnut by Osvaldo Borsani Per Atelier Di Varedo
By Osvaldo Borsani, Gaetano Borsani
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Majestic and elegant chest of drawers by Osvaldo Borsani produced in the Varedo Atelier of his father Gaetano Borsani , original in every part, with bakelite handles, 1930s Art Deco chest of drawers, commode , in burl walnut with mirror, polished to wax. Excellent condition. Measures cm: D 53, W 120, H 100. mirror cm: W 90 H 75. About Osvaldo Borsani Osvaldo Borsani (born 1911, Varedo, Italy–died 1985, Milano, Italy) was an Italian designer and architect, born into a family of furniture makers with along and well established artisanal tradition. His father, Gaetano Borsani, owned his own furniture shop, the Atelier di Varedo, where the 16-year-old Osvaldo received his first training. At that time, the designer of the atelier was the architect Gino Maggioni, who brought with him influences of the early 20th century Jugendstil movement from Vienna and who instilled in the young Borsani an appreciation for the arts and crafts and furniture making. Osvaldo Borsani first studied fine arts at Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan, graduating in 1931, and then pursued studies in architecture at Politecnico di Milano, where he graduated in 1936. In 1933, two years before graduating as an architect, Borsani designed the Casa Minima project for the V Triennale di Milano (Milan Triennial), along with architects Cairoli and Varisco. This project earned him a silver medal for its Rationalist code and geometries, and he received positive reviews from the critic Edoardo Persico of Casabella magazine. Villa Borsani And Other Prominent Architectural Work In 1937, Osvaldo Borsani designed Villa Presenti in Forte dei Marmi, a sea town in Tuscany where the Italian aristocracy and industrial elite would build their houses, a project that displayed the same rationalistic rigor displayed in Casa Minima, but softened by the use of mediterranean finishes and materials. Villa Borsani designed by Osvaldo Borsani. Varedo, Italy Villa Borsani. Varedo, Italy In 1943, Osvaldo designed and built his own house, the Villa Borsani, in Varedo, which, despite being conceptualized under strict Rationalist principles, incorporated objects and art of younger artists that communicate a freer approach to the human expression. The Villa Borsani project involved artists such as Adriano Spilimbergo, Fausto Melotti, Lucio Fontana (who made the ceramic fireplace and the ceramic Madonna), and Agenore Fabbri (who made the bronze statue in the staircase). To this day, Villa Borsani has been preserved with most of its original furniture and it remains with Osvaldo Borsani’s family along with the extensive archives of his work. Osvaldo Borsani As a Successful Product and Furniture Designer After Villa Borsani, Osvaldo continued to develop many projects for the Milanese bourgeoisie, frequently with many of the same artists whom he employed for his villa. A particularly strong relationship was the one that Osvaldo developed with artist Lucio Fontana, a close friend since the time of the Accademia de Belle Arti di Brera, and whom Borsani assigned to make a large metal balcony for the Tecno company in 1956. Osvaldo Borsani’s design work, just as his larger architectural projects, which he also considered design work, very often incorporated elements created by other artists and designers such as: Roberto Crippa, Arnaldo and Giò Pomodoro, Agenore Fabbri, Fausto Melotti, Andrea Cascella...
Category

1920s Italian Art Deco Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Furniture

Materials

Mirror, Walnut, Burl

Art Deco Entry Cabinet, Vanity or Dressing Table by Osvaldo Borsani , Burl Walnut
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Vigonza, Padua
1930s Art Deco Italian sculptural entry cabinet, Vanity or Dressing Table by Osvaldo Borsani in burl walnut, wax polished. The cabinet can be sold separately from the mirror Excellen...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Osvaldo Borsani Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Pair Art Deco Side Chairs, in Blond Walnut Wood by Osvaldo Borsani All Original
By Osvaldo Borsani, Atelier Borsani Varedo
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Pair elegant Art Deco side chairs, in blond walnut wood by Osvaldo Borsani, for Atelier di Varedo, with spring seat and original leatherette upholstery in good condition.
Category

1930s European Art Deco Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Furniture

Materials

Leather, Beech

1930 Oval Side Table Coffee Table Art Deco by Osvaldo Borsani in Veneered Walnut
By Osvaldo Borsani, Atelier Borsani Varedo
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Oval side table or coffee table Art Deco by Osvaldo Borsani in veneered walnut with lynx eye veneer top. Measures cm: H 63, W 70, D 50 (internal shelves H37cm).
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Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Osvaldo Borsani Furniture

Materials

Walnut

1930s Art Deco Burl Walnut Borsani Sideboard Buffet Server Credenza Wax Polished
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Midcentury Gaetano or Osvaldo Borsani Art Deco burl walnut sideboard buffet with server chest, restored and wax polished Measures cm: H 150, W...
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Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Osvaldo Borsani Furniture

Materials

Burl

Mid-Century Modern Credenza Sideboard by Gugliemo Urlich for ARCA in Burl Walnut
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Mid-Century Modern credenza sideboard by Gugliemo Urlich for ARCA in Burl Walnut, Art Deco with original golden brass metal accessories. A essential linear beautiful cabinet. Measur...
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1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Furniture

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century 1930s Art Deco Coffee Table, Gaetano Borsani labeled, by Osvaldo
By Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamenti Borsani
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Code: FI48 1930s Art Deco Italian design Mid-Century modern coffee table by Osvaldo Borsani, top in burl walnut and legs in blond walnut. Wax polished. Measure cm: H 47 Diametro of ...
Category

1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Furniture

Materials

Walnut, Burl

Art Deco Hand-Carved Walnut Mirror, by Osvaldo Borsani, Bevelled, Wax Polished
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Large Italian 1930s Art Deco hand carved walnut Osvaldo Borsani mirror, bevelled mirror. This was a mirror of a Osvaldo Borsani branded sideboa...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Osvaldo Borsani Furniture

Materials

Walnut, Mirror

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Previously Available Items
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Art Deco Console , Side Table by Osvaldo Borsani Burr Walnut, Top in Leatherette
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1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Furniture

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Burl

Osvaldo Borsani furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Osvaldo Borsani 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 Osvaldo Borsani furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Osvaldo Borsani 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 Ico Parisi, Gianfranco Frattini, and B&B Italia. Prices for Osvaldo Borsani furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $330 and can go as high as $397,156, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,205.

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