
Borsani Tecno, Pair of P38 Armchairs Covered in Fabric
View Similar Items
Borsani Tecno, Pair of P38 Armchairs Covered in Fabric
About the Item
- Creator:Osvaldo Borsani (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 32.29 in (82 cm)Width: 19.69 in (50 cm)Depth: 21.26 in (54 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8258233504082
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.
More From This Seller
View AllMid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Cherry
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Velvet
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Cherry
You May Also Like
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plywood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Plywood
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wool, Teak
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Steel