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.
$748Sale Price|20% Off
Small Coffee Table by Osvaldo Borsani
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Milano, IT
Discover the refined elegance of the 1960s with this Osvaldo Borsani wooden coffee table for Tecno, embodying the essence of mid-century modern design. This table is celebrated for i...
Wood
Osvaldo and Valeria Borsani Unique Revolving Occasional Table
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Chicago, IL
Unique revolving occasional table by Osvaldo and Valeria Borsani for Tecno Provenance Ziuta Gerstenzang Akston (1901-1994) and Joseph James Akston (1895-1983), Palm Beach, Florida.
Marble, Aluminum, Steel
Mid-Century Modern Vintage Glass Metal Dining Table Osvaldo Borsani Tecno, Italy
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Vienna, AT
A Mid-Century Modern vintage dining table, which was designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy, 1963. The base with curved legs was made of black lacquered cast aluminum with bru...
Metal
20th Century, Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Coffee Table mod. T61/b, '50s
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
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...
Metal
Mid-Century Modern Italian T69 Round Table by O. Borsani and E. Gerli for Tecno
By Eugenio Gerli, Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Prato, IT
Mid-Century Modern Italian "T69" table with round carrara marble top and gold and black aluminum saber legs by Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno. 1970s The marble top pres...
Carrara Marble, Aluminum
$7,992Sale Price|20% Off
H 28.75 in W 110.24 in D 39.38 in
Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Mod. Nomos by Norman Foster for Tecno, 1970s
By Tecno, Sir Norman Foster
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern table mod. Nomos by Norman Foster for Tecno, 1970s Chromed table mod. Nomos with chromed steel structure with support...
Metal
Osvaldo Borsani Blond Walnut Center Table, Coffee Table, Italy 1940s
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Roma, IT
Marvellous round coffee table in a fantastic old walnut. This fantastic piece was design by Osvaldo Borsani in the 1940s in Italy. The coffee table, fully made in a gorgeous walnut,...
Wood, Glass, Walnut
Marble Topped Osvaldo Borsani Dining Table
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Austin, TX
Table, Italian, designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno. Carrara marble top with stylized steel base.
Carrara Marble, Steel
Model T61 Table by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1960s
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in London, GB
Model T61 table by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1960s A 1960s Model T61 coffee or side table designed by Osvaldo Borsani with a single drawer. Made in teak with a black painted metal...
Steel
Side Table by Osvaldo Borsani, around 1960
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Berlin, DE
This elegant side table from the T61 series was designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno 1960. It has a generous drawer made of wood, the legs are made of lacquered metal.
Metal
$5,950
H 29.53 in Dm 51.19 in
Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno Round Dining Table in Walnut & Steel
By Eugenio Gerli, Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Almelo, NL
Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno round dining table in Walnut and Steel Italy, 1965. This is a round dining table made from walnut and steel by Osvaldo Borsani and Euge...
Steel
1950's Italian Wooden Table by Osvaldo Borsani
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Paris, FR
An exquisite Italian oval table designed by Osvaldo Borsani, a pivotal figure in mid-century Italian design, crafted in the 1950s from rich cherry wood. Renowned for his innovative a...
Wood, Cherry
$2,608
H 29.93 in Dm 34.85 in
Mid 19th Century Italian Louis Philippe Antique Round Table in Inlaid Walnut
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
We present an elegant antique Italian round table dating back to the mid-19th century. The table features typical Louis Philippe period features. This walnut table is distinguished ...
Walnut
Osvaldo Borsani desk mod T333 for Tecno
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in bari, IT
The T333 desk, designed by the famous designer Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, is a masterpiece of elegance and functionality. It is an iconic piece from the 1950s, characterised by clean...
Metal
$3,158
H 31.11 in W 74.81 in D 37.8 in
Osvaldo Borsani Marble Dining Table for Arredamenti Borsani Varedo, 1950s
By Osvaldo Borsani, Atelier Borsani Varedo
Located in Conversano, IT
A rare and important dining table designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Arredamenti Borsani Varedo in the 1950s, this piece is an authentic testament to the outstanding level achieved by I...
Marble
Borsani-Gerli by Tekno Round Glass and Metal Dinning Room Table, 1960
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Roma, Lazio
Elegant and essential glass table, with Italian design from the first half of the last century. Table of Tecno mod. T69, designed by Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli. Table with gl...
Metal
$7,500
H 14.18 in W 23.63 in D 43.31 in
Mid-Century Modern Center Table by Giuseppe Scapinelli, Brazil, 1960s
By Giuseppe Scapinelli
Located in Deerfield Beach, FL
Mid-Century Modern Center Table by Giuseppe Scapinelli, Brazil, 1960s Center table in the shape of a reed made of solid wood, in the 60s in Brazil. It has a top made of a solid piec...
Wood
Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Coffee Table in Brass and Wood
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Milano, IT
Imagine a living room that exudes timeless elegance, where every piece of furniture is carefully chosen to express refinement and restraint. In this context, the coffee table designe...
Brass
T69 Table for Tecno by O. Borsani & E. Gerli
By Eugenio Gerli, Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Milano, IT
Step into the elegance of mid-century modern design with the T69 table by Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno. Crafted in the 1960s, this piece showcases the era's innovative...
Brass
Tecno Coffee Table by Osvaldo Borsani
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Milano, IT
Discover the refined elegance of the 1960s with this Osvaldo Borsani wooden coffee table for Tecno, embodying the essence of mid-century modern design. This table is celebrated for i...
Wood
Tecno Side Table by Osvaldo Borsani
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Milano, IT
Discover the refined elegance of the 1960s with this Osvaldo Borsani wooden coffee table for Tecno, embodying the essence of mid-century modern design. This table is celebrated for i...
Wood
Sold
H 29.34 in W 70.87 in D 43.31 in
Osvaldo Borsani & Eugenio Gerli for Tecno Oval Dining Table in Marble
By Eugenio Gerli, Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno, dining table 'T102', lady onyx marble, brass-plated steel, Italy, 1964 The designers Borsani and Gerli created an outstanding piece of furniture together that deserves a prominent place in one's living room. Designed for Italian manufacturer Tecno, this dining room table originates from 1964. The tabletop owns its intricate appearance due to the lady onyx marble with its expressive grey veins alternated by pink hues. In addition, the brass base carries a concave construction that gently remind of organic occurring dynamics. Osvaldo Borsani (1911-1985) was an Italian designer and architect, raised by a family of fine furniture makers in Varedo. At the age of 16, he joined his father’s furniture shop, the Atelier di Varedo, which was fully engaged in designing and furnishing homes inspired by the Italian Art Deco movement. The designer of the atelier was the Italian architect Gino Maggioni (1898-1955) who was known for his Viennese Jugendstil orientation of the early 20th century. In the 1930s, he graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and Politecnico di Milano, where he studied Fine Arts and Architecture respectively. In 1932, the family company was renamed ‘Arredamenti Borsani’ and opened its first studio in Milan. During this period, he encountered Avant-Garde artists of various artistic disciplines like Lucio Fontana (1899-1968), Agenore Fabbri (1911-1998), Aligi Sassu (1912-2000), Roberto Crippa (1921-1972), Fausto Melotti (1901-1986), Arnaldo Pomodoro (1926-) and Giò Pomodoro (1930-2002). These collaborations resulted in the creation of furniture and interior design projects with a high-level of craftsmanship and artistry. In 1953, Borsani founded together with his twin brother Fulgenzio Borsani ‘Tecno’, a design and manufacturing company that produced items based on mechanical innovations and refined technicality. The ‘P40’ adjustable lounge chair (1953) has become the ideological manifesto of Borsani's Tecno program, and still remains the best known, exemplary piece in the Tecno catalogue. Other iconic works that were produced by Tecno were created by Gio Ponti (1891-1979), Vico cham...
Marble, Steel, Brass
Table "T69" Design Osvaldo Borsani & Eugenio Gerli for Tecno, 1975
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani, Eugenio Gerli
Located in taranto, IT
Superb and very rare T69 table designed by osvaldo borsani and eugenio gerli for tecno Iroko top, with the four famous saber feet by tecno Top diameter cm....
Metal, Steel
Stunning "Nomos" Dining Table by Norman Foster, Made by Tecno Spa, Milan
By Tecno, Sir Norman Foster
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
A dining table designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster. The “Nomos” dining table was designed by Foster after he started working with anothe...
Chrome
Sold
H 28.15 in Dm 47.25 in
Italian Midcentury Teak Table Model T41 by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1958
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian midcentury teak table model T41 by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1958. Dining table model T41 in teak with black painted metal structure and brass details, convertible into a c...
Brass, Steel
Sold
H 28.15 in Dm 47.25 in
Italian Midcentury Teak Table Model T41 by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1958
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian midcentury teak table model T41 by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1958 Dining table model T41 in teak with black painted metal structure and brass details, convertible into a cof...
Brass, Steel
Sold
H 28.35 in Dm 51.19 in
Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli Italian Marble Dining Table "T69" for Tecno
By Eugenio Gerli, Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Italian rare and famous circle Mid-Century Modern design dining table model T69 designed by Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno in 1963 with White Carrara marble-top and with...
Carrara Marble, Metal
Small Table, Plywood Metaly, Italy 1950s-1960s Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Milano, IT
Small center table, mahogany veneered plywood top, lacquered metal legs. Good conditions; may show sings of wear; may have been restored.
Metal
Great Nomos Table by Norman Foster Produced by Tecno, 1980s
By Tecno, Sir Norman Foster
Located in Sofia, BG
The Nomos table, developed for Italian furniture manufacturer Tecno, is characterised by its splayed metal legs, angled from a central spine, as if poised for flight. Some critics ha...
Metal