Art Deco Daybed in Red Velvet and Walnut

Osvaldo Borsani for Arredamenti Borsani Varedo, daybed, model 5767, walnut, fabric, Italy, 1941 This exceedingly rare sofa or daybed, designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Arredamenti Borsani Varedo in 1941, was originally intended for Casa Albonetto in Italy. The designer himself owned a smaller version of this type. This modest daybed serves as a prime example of Borsani's impeccable innovative thinking and his keen sense of harmonious compositions. When it comes to practicality, its defining feature are the adjustable armrests, simultaneously placing the backrest cushions over the lowered armrests. In an easy gesture the sofa is transformed into a daybed. A generous storage compartment is present by raising the seating space upwards. The overall wooden frame in walnut is characterized by rounded contours and clear lines with evenly spaced spindles structuring the piece. 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...

Tito Agnoli for Cinova, sofa or daybed model 711, red leatherette, steel, laminated wood, Italy, 1968. Cubic sofa that can be transformed into a daybed by Italian designer Tito Agno...

Horst Brüning for Kill International, daybed model 6915, chrome-plated steel, leather, Germany, 1960s This well-designed daybed shows a solid construction of delicate lines and rou...

Johannes Spalt for Wittmann, sofa or daybed, leather, chrome-plated steel, Austria, 1960s. This mid-century modern sofa is designed by the acclaimed Austrian furniture designer Johannes Spalt. The design is characterized by a solid construction based on sharp lines and angular shapes noticeable in the body of the seat and the chromed steel base, underlining the clear structured design. The metal legs elevate the seat in a graceful way, which establish an open and more transparent look to the whole unit. The tufted seat with buttons is upholstered in black leather. As outcome, this creates more visual interest and adds a graphical touch to the quite simplistic design. By only one hand movement the 'Constance' transforms from a comfortable sofa to daybed. A very elegant and also nifty technique. Johannes Spalt (1920-2010) was a postwar Austrian architect. In 1952 he founded the collective "Arbeitsgruppe 4" together with Wilhelm Holzbauer, Friedrich Kurrent and Otto Leitner. Their ideas and designs are still a great example of Austrian architecture...