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. Borsani would be the firm’s lead designer for 30 years, while fostering work by Vico Magistretti, Carlo De 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.
$5,863 / set
Tables Gigognes - ModèleT61
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Paris, FR
Set of three side tables in rosewood, veneer and metal legs by Italian designer Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno
Metal
$5,165 / set
H 19.69 in W 20.48 in D 20.48 in
Duna Nest Table, Side Table, Bedside Table in Solid Poplar Wood by Joel Escalona
By Joel Escalona
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Duna Nest Table, Side Table, Bedside Table in Solid Poplar Wood by Joel Escalona Duna Collection is a set of wood tables and surfaces inspired by the vast sand dune regions of the w...
Wood, Poplar, Oak, Hardwood
Set of 4 Tables Gigognes signed Gallé
By Gallé
Located in Paris, FR
Gallé marquetry nesting tables in different woods, decorated with iris, wisteria, a frog on a water lily and umbellifers, composed of four elements. Signed Gallé.
Wood
Nesting Mirrored Table Set
Located in Houston, TX
Nesting mirrored table set of two tables featuring antiqued mirror surfaces and silver gilt trim. Table 1: 28"H x 28"W x 24"D Table 2: 25.75"H x 23.25"W x 24"D
Silver Leaf
$4,774 / set
H 17.72 in Dm 31.5 in
Handmade Nesting Tables, Set Side Coffee Tables Handcrafted by French Designer
Located in LANGUEUX, FR
The beauty and high quality of handmade concrete and metal tables made in France are unparalleled in the world of furniture. The blending of these two materials results in pieces tha...
Concrete, Metal
$4,905 / set
H 17.72 in Dm 31.5 in
Handmade Nesting Tables, Set Side Coffee Tables Handcrafted by French Designer
Located in LANGUEUX, FR
The beauty and high quality of handmade concrete and metal tables made in France are unparalleled in the world of furniture. The blending of these two materials results in pieces tha...
Concrete, Metal
Side Table, Nesting Table, Handmade Textured Lacquer
Located in Maçka-İstanbul, 34
Toprak's circular form allows us to see the different reflections of the patterned lacquer finish on the body. The color of the lacquer and the dimensions of the texture can be chan...
Metal
Cloth Wrapped Nesting Tables
Located in New York, NY
A neutral set of cloth-wrapped nesting tables. A convenient set as end tables or side/drink table combo. Hold a lamp, books, cocktails, a plant, etc. Many uses. Convenient size, dime...
Upholstery
vintage nesting tables side tables side tables oak
By Henning Kjærnulf
Located in Lemmer, NL
vintage nesting tables side tables side tables oak period 60's design style Henning Kjaernulf Denmark condition good light signs of use size 51 x 54 x 39 (hxwxd) (largest t...
Stone
Gigognes Coffee Table in Oak, 1950s
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Rare nesting tables made of oak with four tripods Gigognes One restoration in one small board.
Oak
Calligaris Italian Nesting tables
By Calligaris
Located in Den Haag, NL
Calligaris Italy Nesting tables . Beautiful quality tables . set of Three . One spot on the largest table ,see photos .
Beech
Nesting Attibuted Mategot Table
By Mathieu Matégot
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pair of painted wrought iron nesting tables attributed to Mathieu Mategot.
Wrought Iron
$11,724 / set
H 14.97 in W 18.12 in D 24.02 in
Marcel Breuer, 'Isokon Nesting Tables, ' Set of Three Tables, for Isokon, 1936
By Isokon, Marcel Breuer
Located in London, GB
Marcel Breuer, Hungary (designer) ‘Isokon Nesting Tables’ Designed 1936 for the Isokon Furniture Company, this set manufactured c. 1968 as part of a licenced edition by John Alan D...
Plywood
Osvaldo Borsani Nesting Tables T61E Tecno Italy, 1957
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Nesting table set model T61E designed by Osvaldo Borsani and manufactured by Tecno, Italy 1957. The 3 tables have a v shaped black painted metal frame that slides in each other and t...
Metal
Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Set of 3 Nesting Tables Model T61
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in New York, NY
Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno set of 3 modernist nesting tables with rosewood veneer tops on three black enamel tapering metal legs, Italy, circa 1957. The table tops consist of three st...
Metal