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Tecno Desks

Italian

From his early start at his father’s boutique furniture and cabinetry atelier — Arredamenti Borsani (ABV) — Italian designer Osvaldo Borsani began to steadily dream to life the movement-inducing pieces that would eventually lead to him founding his innovative furniture company, Tecno, with his twin brother, Fulgenzio. 

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. He first worked for the family furniture-making firm, ABV, an atelier influenced by the more expressive and curvaceous wing of Art Deco design. Borsani took over Arredamenti Borsani in 1937.

With his stylish and technically innovative furniture, 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.

While he is today recognized as a master of mid-century modernist Italian furniture, Borsani is most famous these days for cofounding Tecno. (He and Fulgenzio also created Villa Borsani, a visionary mid-century estate cherished for its modern lines and exquisite custom furnishings.) 

When Borsani opened Tecno, an office-focused maker of industrial design, his design sensibilities had evolved toward furnishings with strong, simple forms enhanced by mechanical innovations, as with the P40 adjustable armchair.

When they were originally released, Tecno pieces like the P40 and the award-winning D70 sofa bed were acclaimed as cutting-edge, and they are still considered groundbreaking in their adaptability and functionality. The firm quickly garnered widespread acclaim for its tech-forward designs and quality craftsmanship.

Borsani would be Tecno’s lead designer for 30 years, while partnering on projects with the likes of architect Eugenio Gerli and fostering work by Vico Magistretti, Carlo De Carli, Robin Day and others.

Borsani designed pieces for Tecno until shortly before his death in 1985, when his daughter Valeria and her husband, Marco Fantoni, took over the creative work. 

Today, the family’s legacy is preserved by Borsani’s architect grandson Tommaso Fantoni, who, along with Norman Foster, curated a blockbuster retrospective of Osvaldo Borsani’s work at Milan’s Triennale Design Museum in 2018.

Find vintage Tecno chairs, tables, desks and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Tecno
Boomerang Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Milano, 1950s Italy
Boomerang Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Milano, 1950s Italy

Boomerang Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Milano, 1950s Italy

By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Architectural black boomerang executive desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Milano. Finished with leather desktop inclusion. Floating pedestal on right side and longer return on the le...

Category

1950s Italian Vintage Tecno Desks

Materials

Aluminum

Bureau en palissandre modèle T95 par Osvaldo Borsani pour Tecno 1960's
Bureau en palissandre modèle T95 par Osvaldo Borsani pour Tecno 1960's

Bureau en palissandre modèle T95 par Osvaldo Borsani pour Tecno 1960's

By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno

Located in TOURCOING, FR

Bureau en palissandre modèle T95 par Osvaldo Borsani pour Tecno 1960's Superbe bureau moderniste italien, au modèle T95 dessiné par Osvaldo Borsani pour Tecno. L’ensemble séduit par...

Category

1960s French Vintage Tecno Desks

Materials

Wood

Vintage Writing Desk Model T333 by Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno
Vintage Writing Desk Model T333 by Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno

Vintage Writing Desk Model T333 by Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno

By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno

Located in Roma, IT

An elegant and architecturally refined “T333” executive desk designed by Osvaldo Borsani in collaboration with Eugenio Gerli for Tecno, one of the most influential manufacturers in t...

Category

1970s Italian Vintage Tecno Desks

Materials

Steel

Early Model T95 Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy 1950's
Early Model T95 Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy 1950's

Early Model T95 Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy 1950's

By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno

Located in Hellouw, NL

Few designers shaped the identity of post-war Italian furniture as profoundly as Osvaldo Borsani. Through Tecno, the company he founded with his twin brother Fulgenzio in 1953, Borsa...

Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tecno Desks

Materials

Mahogany

Osvaldo Borsani T96 Executive Corner Desk for Tecno, Italy, 1958
Osvaldo Borsani T96 Executive Corner Desk for Tecno, Italy, 1958

Osvaldo Borsani T96 Executive Corner Desk for Tecno, Italy, 1958

By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno

Located in Buccinasco, MI

Highly significant T96 executive desk, designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno in 1958, representing one of the most innovative expressions of postwar Italian office design. The T96 b...

Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tecno Desks

Materials

Metal

Large Desk T333 by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Italy
Large Desk T333 by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Italy

Large Desk T333 by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Italy

By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno

Located in Albano Laziale, Rome/Lazio

This is a magnificent large vintage executive desk. Designed by Italians Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno, it exudes timeless prestige. The desktop is created from a singl...

Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tecno Desks

Materials

Aluminum

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Previously Available Items
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Italian Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Midcentury Design T96 Boomerang 1950s
Italian Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Midcentury Design T96 Boomerang 1950s

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Category

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T333 Desk by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy 1970s
T333 Desk by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy 1970s

T333 Desk by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy 1970s

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This T333 desk was designed in 1975 by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy. It is made with excellent wood and polished aluminum bases. The desk is easy to assemble wi...

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Unique Osvaldo Borsani Writing Desk for Tecno with Leather Inlay, Italy, 1970s
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A rare writing desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno (signed).

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Tecno desks for sale on 1stDibs.

Tecno desks 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 Tecno desks, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original desks by Tecno were created in the modern style in italy during the mid-20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider desks by Osvaldo Borsani, Vittorio Dassi, and Bernini. Prices for Tecno desks can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $8,626 and can go as high as $14,783, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $11,704.

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