70s Vintage Chairs Model Modus Design Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno
View Similar Items
70s Vintage Chairs Model Modus Design Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno
About the Item
- Creator:Tecno (Manufacturer),Osvaldo Borsani (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.35 in (72 cm)Width: 22.05 in (56 cm)Depth: 21.26 in (54 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:None, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6193229750202
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 (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.
Tecno
Eugenio Gerli (b. 1923) is an Italian architect and industrial designer known for his long-lasting collaboration with the Italian architect-designer Osvaldo Borsani and the Italian manufacturer Tecno. In 1949, Gerli graduated with a degree in engineering and began his career a year later, opening his own architectural and industrial design practice. Architecturally, the firm focused on residential and public buildings, as well as the renovation of historic Italian buildings. Notable architectural projects include the Cardiology Clinic in Laveno-Mombello (1950), the Ambasciatori Theater in Milan (1954), the renovation and restoration of the Castiglioni Palace (1903). Gerli was joined by his two sons, Enrico and Guido, in the 1970s. In 1957, Gerli began a long and fruitful collaboration with the Borsani brothers, Fulgenzio and Osvaldo Borsani (1911–85), founders of the Italian furniture manufacturing company Tecno. In 1968, Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani exhibited their revolutionary Graphis Office System (1967) at the 14th Triennale di Milano. The system, which was made up of just three basic elements, was heralded as a revolution in office furniture design because the system’s modular components allowed unlimited and customizable combinations, which could grow (or contract) with the company. The system remained a bestseller for decades, and Tecno became synonymous for technologically-advanced design. The partnership between Gerli and Tecno lasted for more than 35 years. During the 1970s, Tecno launched its Centro Progetti Tecno (CPT), an in-house team dedicated to communications and industrial design work. The team, which included Gerli, Valeria Borsani, Kugo Toru, Borsani and his son Marco, became a driving force of technologically advanced ideas in design. Although Borsani remained in charge, the purpose of the department was to present future designs as group creations. The CPT was responsible for a number of the company’s successes, including the molded plastic Modus Office Chair (1972), which won the SMAU Prize in 1973; the steel mesh Waiting System (1983), a modular seating and table concept for large public spaces; and the rebranding of Alitalia worldwide (1982–84), for which Centro Progetti Tecno was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1984. Although Gerli's career as an architect-designer was prolific, his work is often overshadowed by his contemporaries and the legacy of his long-term partner, Osvaldo Borsani.
- 1970s vintage table model t210 design tecno for osvaldo borsaniBy Tecno, Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in None, ITSquare table with steel legs, black polished and satin-finished polyesther top. Model T210, design Osvaldo Borsani for Progetti Tecno, 1970s. CONDITION: In good condition, shows sig...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Tables
MaterialsBronze, Steel
$3,785 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage Rocking Armchair 70s Design G. FaleschiniBy Guido FaleschiniLocated in None, ITRocking armchair with gilt brass structure and light blue fabric covering. Design Guido Faleschini, 70s. CONDITION: In good condition, may show signs of wear caused by time. DI...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Rocking Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$1,570 Sale Price20% Off - 70s Vintage Table Lamp Design Sandro Petti for Maison JansenBy Sandro Petti, Maison JansenLocated in None, ITLarge table lamp in lucite, composed of interlocking elements. Design Sandro Petti for Maison Jansen, 1970s. CONDITION: In good condition, working, the elements may have small def...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsLucite
$5,519 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage 70s Metal Chromed Floor Lamp Italian DesignLocated in None, ITFloor lamp with white marble base, structure and lampshades in chromed metal with three lights, 70s. CONDITIONS: In good condition, functioning, it shows signs of wear given by ti...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Floor Lamps
MaterialsMarble, Metal
$848 Sale Price20% Off - Pair of Vintage 70's Chairs Armchairs in Green LeatherLocated in None, ITPair of armchairs with black metal frame and chromed feet, green eco leather upholstery, 1970s. Conditions: In good condition, they may show signs of wear due to time. Dimensio...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$1,056 Sale Price / set20% Off - Vintage 70s metal and glass pendant lamp Italian designLocated in None, ITSuspension lamp with red metal frame and white glass shade, Italian design, 1970s. CONDITION: In good condition, working, may show signs of wear given by time.. DIMENSIONS: Height ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Osvaldo Borsani Tecno Modus Desk ChairBy Osvaldo Borsani, TecnoLocated in Philadelphia, PARed Osvaldo Borsani Revolving Office Chair Produced by Tecno in Italy circa 1970 Plastic seat on aluminum frame with caster wheels. Perfect for a small desk.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
$417 Sale Price40% Off - Modus Office by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno 1960s Desk ChairBy Tecno, Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Brescia, IT1968 by Tecno revolving chair White ivory plastic, acrylic seat and aluminum frame H max seat: 52 cm.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Set of Eight Tecno Modus Chairs by Osvaldo Borsani for ChanelBy Tecno, Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Dronten, NLSet of 8 swiveling, height adjustable Modus chairs designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Milan. Thee chairs were used for many years in the conference room of the headquarters of Ch...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Modus Office Chair by Osvaldo Borsani for TecnoBy Osvaldo Borsani, TecnoLocated in Albano Laziale, Rome/LazioOff white plastic office swivel chair with orange/red wool fabric resting on an aluminium base with the original castors which functions well. Designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno i...Category
20th Century Italian Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
$528 Sale Price20% Off - Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno "Modus" Office Chair, Italy 1970sBy Tecno, Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Naples, ITRare yellow Modus office chair with armrests and adjustable height, designed by Osvaldo Borsani and produced for Tecno 1970.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Chair "Modus" Tecno Design Ovaldo Borsani Eugenio Gerli, 1970s Rare VersionBy Eugenio Gerli, Osvaldo Borsani, TecnoLocated in taranto, ITvery rare, unique in the world, this original Tecno chair, designed by osvaldo borsani in the 70s probably a prototype that has never entered the market, there is no such trace in...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Chairs
MaterialsMetal
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Mid-Century Master Osvaldo Borsani Gets His Due at Donzella
The New York City gallery has devoted its latest show to the work of the modernist Italian designer.
Peek inside Osvaldo Borsani’s Mod Italian Villa
The iconic mid-century estate outside of Milan opens its doors to the public for a very special homage.