Chest of Drawers by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno
View Similar Items
Chest of Drawers by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno
About the Item
- Creator:Osvaldo Borsani (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 63 in (160 cm)Depth: 19.69 in (50 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Unknown
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Milan, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU94922359462
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.
- Osvaldo Borsani chest of drawers, 1960By Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Milano, LombardiaThis chest of drawers by Osvaldo Borsani, dating from the 1950s, embodies the elegance and innovation of Italian design at the time. Featuring a combination of fine materials, such a...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno White Wall UnitBy Osvaldo Borsani, TecnoLocated in Waalwijk, NLOsvaldo Borsani for Tecno, wall-mounted wall unit, metal, white laminated wood, Italy, 1950s This wall mounted shelving system was designed by Osvaldo Borsani. Its purpose was a co...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsMetal
- Rare Chest of Drawers by Osvaldo Borsani, Label PresentBy Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Milano, ITElegant, sophisticated, and of great importance. We present this great example of Italian cabinetry made by Osvaldo Borsani with present label from the 1950s. The cabinet is a tall c...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWood
- Sideboard SE3 sideboard Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno 1960'sBy Osvaldo Borsani, TecnoLocated in Milano, MISideboard Sideboard in Rosewood with Drawers and Double Sliding. Tecno production 1960s based on a design by Osvaldo Borsani. the cabinet is in excellent condition.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsIron
- Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Wall Unit in WalnutBy Osvaldo Borsani, TecnoLocated in Waalwijk, NLOsvaldo Borsani for Tecno, wall unit 'E22', walnut, glass, polished steel, Italy, 1957 This wall-mounted shelving unit is designed by Osvaldo Borsani and is four sections large, wit...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsSteel
- Italian modern Black Office drawer unit by Borsani and Gerli for Tecno, 1970sBy Eugenio Gerli, Osvaldo Borsani, TecnoLocated in MIlano, ITItalian mid-century modern Black Office drawer unit by Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno, 1970s Office drawer unit with rectangular base in black painted metal. On the fron...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal