
P40 Upholstered Lounge Chair by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno
View Similar Items
- Want more images or videos?Request additional images or videos from the seller
P40 Upholstered Lounge Chair by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno

About
Details
- CreatorOsvaldo Borsani (Designer)
- Design
- DimensionsHeight: 36 in. (91.44 cm)Width: 25 in. (63.5 cm)Depth: 30 in. (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 18 in. (45.72 cm)
- Materials and Techniques
- Place of Origin
- Period
- Date of Manufacture1950s
- ConditionChair has just been reupholstered and restored. All moveable parts are in good working order. We replaced two brass cup flanges which go around the arm connection. This was ordered from Tecno directly.
- Seller LocationNew York, NY
- Reference Number1stDibs: LU818014689302
About the Designer
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.
More From This Seller
Vintage 1950s American Lounge Chairs
Walnut
2010s American Lounge Chairs
Brass
Vintage 1950s American Lounge Chairs
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Wool
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Art Glass
Vintage 1970s French Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Costa Rican Ceramics
Ceramic
You May Also Like
Vintage 1950s Chaise Longues
Mohair
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass, Metal
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Steel, Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass, Steel
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Brass, Steel
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum, Chrome
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Brass
Recently Viewed
View MoreRead 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.
The 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Insured Global Delivery