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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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Style: Modern
Creator: Osvaldo Borsani
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...
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1960s Italian Modern Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Desk, Elm Wood, Osvaldo Borsani, 1953
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Berlin, DE
Minimal and elegant desk with drawer. Solid wood construction, take top made of solid elm wood, legs with wooden screw thread. Exhibited at Trienale Milano 1954. Osvaldo Borsan...
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1950s Italian Modern Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood, Elm

Desk, Made of Walnut by Osvaldo Borsani, 1954
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Berlin, DE
Chique and minimal, rare desk designed by Osvaldo Borsani in 1956 and manufactured by Tecno Italy. the plate and the drawers are made of walnut wood, its construction is made of bla...
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1950s Italian Modern Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal

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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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