Mid2Mod: Tecno

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Monday, March 4, 2013

Osvaldo Borsani

Osvaldo Borsani (1911-1985) was an Italian architect and designer. He completed a degree at the Politecnico di Milan and became a furniture designer in the family business with his father, who was a well known furniture craftsman. The business was then known as Atelier Varedo but later changed names and became Arredamento Borsani.

In the 1940s and 1950s, he produced an extensive body of work, which included seating and case goods. In 1946, he designed an especially noteworty wall-mounted shelving system. In 1955 he formed a firm called Tecno with his twin brother Fulgencio. As the name of the company might suggest, Tecno took a technology- and research-based approach to furniture design.

Some of Tecno's best known pieces are the P40 lounge chair, which featured rubber arms and had 486 different positions, and the D70, which was the sofa version. For 30 years, Osvaldo was the company's only designer. In the mid-80s Gae Aulenti and Norman Foster began to design for the company, which is known today for its innovative furniture for offices and public buildings.

From deconet.com