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Osvaldo Borsani Desks and Writing Tables

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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Period: 1960s
Creator: Osvaldo Borsani
Vintage office desk, Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy 1960s
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Ceglie Messapica, IT
Rare Osvaldo Borsani vintage desk manufactured by Tecno in the 1960s - early 1970s. Steel black structure with wood top venereed in white /beige laminate. Two side adjustable drawe...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1960s
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Lasne, BE
Desk with wood and metal leg. Stamped Tecno. Wear due to time and age of the desk.
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal

Desk by Osvaldo Borsani
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Milano, Lombardia
The 1960s functionalist style desk represents a fascinating piece of furniture that embodies the elegant marriage of functionality and aesthetics. This design object, with its tubula...
Category

1960s Italian Modern Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

20th Century Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno T90 Desk Wood with Chest of Drawers 60s
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Turin, Turin
Osvaldo Borsani in 1953, together with his brother Fulgenzio, realized his most complex project: a company idea named after the "techne" of the Greeks, which means both art and techn...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

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Osvaldo Borsani desks and writing tables for sale on 1stDibs.

Osvaldo Borsani desks and writing tables are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Osvaldo Borsani desks and writing tables, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original desks and writing tables 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 desks and writing tables by Gianfranco Frattini, Ico Parisi, and Franco Albini. Prices for Osvaldo Borsani desks and writing tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,997 and can go as high as $36,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,950.

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