There’s something very delicate and graceful to every piece in Borsani’s body of furniture work. Definitely recognizable as coming to fruition during the high points of modernism and Mid-Century Modernism, there’s a curiously perfect balance between straight lines and curves in his pieces. Whereas furniture can sometimes fall in either the masculine or feminine camps, there’s something refreshingly gender neutral about his designs.
We’ll get to the bigger reasons why he’s most well-known today in a bit, but we really want to focus on his furniture more for a moment. Seating is sleek, comfortable and surprisingly functional (sometimes with movable parts). Tables are sturdy, but also demure, with legs that just barely look strong enough to hold up the top. Lighting is stylish, but also sort of simplistic.
Born in Milan in 1911, Borsani’s family ran a furniture business. This gave Borsani a lot of experience visualizing furniture designs early on. While still a student, a project he presented in 1933 garnered a lot of attention. He then started doing work with interiors, continuing in this field for a couple of decades. In the early 1950s, Borsani realized that there was a lot to be made creatively and lucratively in the furniture business, and turned his attention that way. He presented his design for the Butterfly Lounge seat D70 at the 10th Triennale in 1954, and his place in the hearts and minds of Italian design lovers was set in stone. The Butterfly lounge seat D70 and his piece the Chaise Lounge P40 have gone on to become symbols of Italian design
In later years, Borsani really gained attention with his office system designs, like for the ENI headquarters in Milan and his Graphis office system. And in the 1970s he turned his focus on the Centro Progetti tecno, a laboratory of sorts where designers could work on projects ranging from products to furniture to architecture. Many big name designers came through those halls, like Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, Gae Aulenti, Emilio Ambasz, Ricardo Bofill, Jean Michelle Wilmotte and the artists Francois and Frederic Morellet, Jeffrey Steele, Getullio Alviani, Carlo Mo.
Though Osvaldo Borsani died in 1985, his designs live on, as does his legacy of promoting great design. You can read more about him and his work on his still active website.Can’t get enough of Swank Lighting’s great gorgeous Murano glass lamps or fun design posts? Check out our revamped Facebook page for more information about us and follow us on twitter (@swanklighting) to always be up-to-date on Swank Lighting happenings.
