D70 Sofa by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno 1954
About the Item
- Creator:Osvaldo Borsani (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.5 in (77.47 cm)Width: 74 in (187.96 cm)Depth: 34 in (86.36 cm)Seat Height: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1954
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Bantam, CT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3307137197512
Osvaldo Borsani
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.
Dumais
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Bantam, CT
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllEarly 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Furniture
Chrome
Early 20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Furniture
Oak, Bouclé
Vintage 1970s American Modern Furniture
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Furniture
Oak, Paint
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Furniture
Chrome
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
Leather, Linen, Oak
You May Also Like
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Metal, Bronze
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Upholstery
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass, Steel
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
