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.
$9,996
H 31.89 in W 74.81 in D 35.44 in
Sofa by Osvaldo Borsani Model D70 Italian for Tecno Years 1960
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Sofa folding model D70 of the famous designer Osvaldo Borsani published by Tecno in the 60s. Black lacquered metal structure and solid brass adjustment elements. Seat covered with bl...
Metal, Brass
Osvaldo Borsani "D70" Sofa, Tecno, Italy 1951
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Wolfurt, AT
Sofa “Model D70” by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno – newly upholstered with original yellow vintage fabric from Tecno. Designed in 1951 in Italy.
Brass, Steel
$9,408
H 31.11 in W 74.81 in D 37.41 in
Osvaldo Borsani D70 Sofa for Tecno, 1954 - Metal Frame, Adjustable
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Torino, Piemonte
Osvaldo Borsani in 1953, together with his brother Fulgenzio, realized his most complex project: a company idea named after the "techne" of the Greeks, which means both art and techn...
Metal
Sofa Daybed D70 Designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Brussels, BE
Sofa daybed D70 designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, original brown ribbed upholstery.
Brass, Steel
D70 Sofa by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno 1954
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Bantam, CT
Extrordinary elegence in form, outstanding in a technical sense. A sofa that transforms to a daybed. Designed by Osvaldo Borsani in 1954. With a single twist, the back and seating a...
Brass, Steel
Exquisite D70 Sofa Daybed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1954
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Voorburg, NL
Sofa/ Daybed ‘D70’, designed by Osvaldo Borsani and manufactured by Tecno, Italy 1954. This customizable D70 sofa has two pivoting wings, a very stable metal frame, and a beautiful f...
Brass, Steel
$9,980
H 32 in W 75 in D 34 in
Italian Midcentury D-70 Sofa / Bed by Osvaldo Borsani & Tecno, New Upholstery
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in New York, NY
An important statement in the history of Modern design: the Italian Mid-Century Modern D 70 sofa, couch or bed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno. Tecno was one of the ...
Brass, Steel
Original D70 Sofa by Osvaldo BORSANI for TECNO, 1954
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Berlin, Berlin
The 'D70' variable tilt sofa-bed, produced by Tecno, Milan, 1954. Black tubular frame with foam rubber padding and brass knobs, for changing the back and seat height of the sofa. Up...
Metal, Brass
$8,467Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.5 in W 73.63 in D 29.53 in
Midcentury sofa mod. D70 by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy 1954
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Iconic sofa "with wings" model D70 designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno. Originally born as a sofa bed, the D70 has an innovative mechanism that allows you to open the sofa until it...
Metal
D70 Daybed Sofa by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno 1950s
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in VENLO, NL
Original 'D70' daybed sofa, designed by Osvaldo Borsani and manufactured by Tecno, Italy, in 1954. This Mid-Century classic serves as both a sculptural sofa and a fully adjustable da...
Metal, Brass
Yellow sofa/bed 'D70' Osvaldo Borsani Tecno, Mid-Century 1970s
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Sofa model "D70," design by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy, 1970. The D70 features a mechanical structure that allows the seat and backrest to be tilted and transformed, offering d...
Metal
'D70' sofa bed by Osvaldo Borsani Tecno 1970 new gray fabric
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Sofa model "D70," design by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy, 1970. The D70 features a mechanical structure that allows the seat and backrest to be tilted and transformed, offering d...
Metal
Divano Anfibio, Alessandro Becchi, Giovannetti, 1970
By Alessandro Becchi
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Il Divano Anfibio, ideato da Alessandro Becchi per Giovannetti intorno al 1971, è un’icona del design che incarna l’essenza innovativa e la versatilità degli arredi degli anni ’70. Q...
Velvet
Divano Soriana, Afra e Tobia Scarpa, B&B
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Soriana, designed in 1969 by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, is characterized by abundant curves and is wrapped in generous upholstery that is fixed by a large metal clamp to form soft folds ...
Textile
Mario Ceroli 2 Seater Sofa “Mobili nella Valle” series for Poltronova, 1972
By Mario Ceroli
Located in Milano, Lombardia
2-seater sofa from the “Mobili nella Valle” series, Mario Ceroli for Poltronova, Italy, 1972 A rare two-seater sofa from the famous “Mobili nella Valle” series, created by Mario Cer...
Wood, Pine
Camaleonda modular sofa by Mario Bellini, B&B Italy, 1970
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Modular "Camaleonda" sofa, design by Mario Bellini, production by B&B, Italy, 1970, wooden inner structure, polyurethane foam padding, new upholstery in sugar paper-colored velvet, f...
Velvet
