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.
Dining table
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Paris, FR
A round table featuring a richly grained, dark wood top. It rests on a five-legged chrome-plated metal base. The overall effect is one of understated elegance, sophistication, and ti...
Aluminum
Osvaldo Borsani Dining Table
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Highland, IN
This elegant pedestal table by Borsani has a sexy curved base in chromed and black lacquered steel which supports a walnut top with a beveled edge.
Steel
Osvaldo Borsani T69 dining table for Tecno, Italy, 1960s
Located in Weesp, NL
Osvaldo Borsani T69 dining table for Tecno, Italy, 1960s – original round fumé glass top, 120 cm Iconic and sculptural, the T69 dining table by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno stands as a...
Aluminum
T69 dining table , Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno , Italy , 1960s
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
T69 dining table , Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno , Italy , 1960s
Walnut
Table by Daciano Da Costa
By Daciano da Costa
Located in Paris, FR
Round table by Daciano da Costa.
Wood
$4,200
H 28.35 in W 46.07 in D 46.07 in
Postmodern Dining Table "Nodo" designed by Carlo Bartoli for Tisettanta
By Carlo Bartoli, Tisettanta
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a Postmodern Dining Table "Nodo" designed by Carlo Bartoli for Tisettanta. It features legs put together into a knot (Italian for knot is nodo, hence th...
Chrome
Giulia Dining Table
Located in Paris, FR
Dining table Giulia with 2 bases in solid walnut wood, Diameter 77cm per base, handcrafted wood. With tempered clear glass top (12mm thickness). Available on request in: L 260 x D 12...
Glass, Walnut
Rondò Table
By Giordano Viganò
Located in Milan, IT
This elegant round table in ebony Macassar wood with its distinctive dark brown strikes, features inserts in aluminum with a satin finish. The top is veneered with a traditional 'sun...
Aluminum
Apollo Dining Table by Chinellato Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Apollo Dining Table by Chinellato Design Dimensions: W 250 x D 120 x H 72 cm Materials: Top: Extra Clear Tempered Glass Base: Matte Black Varnished The base, crafted from worked and...
Ceramic
T1 Dining Table
By Monica Gasperini
Located in Milan, IT
This unique dining table will make a statement in any decor, thanks to its exquisite craftsmanship by expert artisans, the use of noble materials, and the timeless allure of its Silh...
Marble, Brass
