Giovanni Offredi 'Paracarro' coffee table for Saporiti, Italy 1973
About the Item
- Creator:Giovanni Offredi (Designer),Saporiti (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 13.39 in (34 cm)Width: 46.86 in (119 cm)Depth: 46.86 in (119 cm)
- Style:Post-Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1973
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading. The base is in good condition, with some light wear to the concrete. The glass has some light scratches and marks from past use and can be replaced upon request.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:
Giovanni Offredi
Of his mid-century modern furniture designs, which marry minimalist simplicity with elegance and symmetry, Italian designer Giovanni Offredi once said: “Beauty should not be confused with appearance, since the latter is the superficial part of the form.”
Born in Milan, in 1927, Offredi did not pursue formal education as an architect, unlike many of his contemporaries in the first half of the 20th century. He also did not begin designing furniture until later in his career. His earliest known furnishings were commissioned by wealthy Milanese families in 1960.
It wasn’t until the late 1960s — when Offredi met Sergio Saporiti, owner of Italian furniture manufacturer and design shop Saporiti — that his furniture designs would become more prominent. In 1970, Offredi entered into a partnership with Saporiti, producing several innovative and modernistic furniture lines.
Among Offredi’s most notable pieces are the gently curving Wave chair, sofa and lounge chair, the Onda coffee table and the Paracarro dining room table, with its cylindrical concrete base, glass top and metal cross section. He also designed a series of credenzas and sideboards in lacquered wood, featuring a high gloss finish and bold colors.
Offredi enjoyed a successful collaboration with Saporiti throughout the 1970s. In 1984, he began a partnership with Italian cabinet and kitchen manufacturer Snaidero, designing modern kitchens. His final kitchen design, Kube, in 2006, featured streamlined forms, contrasting materials and colors and a recessed aluminum toe kick with a reflective mirror finish, which made the kitchen appear suspended above the ground. The kitchen won a Good Design Award from the Chicago Design Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, in 2008. Offredi never had the opportunity to accept that prize — he died in 2007.
Although Offredi’s works are relatively obscure, they are sought out by in-the-know furniture collectors and enthusiasts worldwide.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Giovanni Offredi chairs, tables, case pieces and storage cabinets.
Saporiti
Established initially as Fratelli Saporiti in 1950, mid-century Italian furniture maker Saporiti Italia has a reputation for avant-garde and enduring designs, and its tables, chairs and cabinets inspire all who have had the pleasure of contemplating them.
Furniture designer Sergio Saporiti founded Fratelli Saporiti with a vision of creating pieces ahead of their time. By staying on top of the cultural shifts taking shape during the postwar era — and finding inspiration in the craftsmanship, durability and sensibility of Scandinavian design — Saporiti was able to tap into what the public wanted. His focus on using high-quality materials ensured that every welcoming chair and table could be used and enjoyed for decades to come.
In 1965, Saporiti collaborated with Italian designer Alberto Rosselli, a pioneer of the industrial design movement. They created such iconic pieces as the Confidential sofa, the Moby Dick chaise lounge and the Jumbo chair. In the 1970s, Saporiti initiated another collaboration with Italian designer Giovanni Offredi. The prolific partnership resulted in universally renowned designs like the Paracarro table and the Sail chair. Together, they also created the curving Wave sofa, which was popular in international markets.
The joint projects were a success, and the brand opened many international showrooms throughout the 1970s. This era also led to a partnership with Missoni — the celebrated Italian fashion brand worked closely with Giorgio Saporiti to create rugs and fabrics for its range of seating and more, and later, in 1983, Missoni expanded into home furnishings. At this time, the company officially rebranded as Saporiti Italia and released a line of customizable furniture, including the Avedon sofa, in collaboration with designer Mauro Lipparini.
Since then, Saporiti Italia has pivoted to furniture contracting and design management. To this day, the company remains under the ownership of the Saporiti family, and vintage Saporiti furniture continues to capture the imagination of collectors worldwide.
Find Saporiti Italia lounge chairs, coffee tables and sofas on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- 1980s Pucci De Rossi attr. coffee table, ItalyBy Pucci De RossiLocated in London, GBA coffee table in the manner of Pucci de Rossi. Dynamic interlocking shapes forged from metal form the base in which a plane of glass lays. Italian-born, Paris-based Pucci De Rossi (...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Marsura Salvino coffee table, Italy 1958By Salvino MarsuraLocated in London, GBSalvino Marsura was born in Treviso in 1938 and learnt his craft in the dynamic workshop of sculptor Toni Benetton. His ironwork art and furniture relishes in the manual aesthetic of...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWrought Iron
- Coffee Table 001 by Archive for Space, Stoke-on-Trent, UK, 2021Located in London, GBCoffee table 001 is a made to order design by Archive for Space, a multidisciplinary design practice founded in London in 2019. Coffee table 001 was designed to celebrate raw steel t...Category
2010s British Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- David Horan Paper coffee table for Béton Brut, UK, 2022By David HoranLocated in London, GBDavid Horan (born in Dublin, 1982) is a multidisciplinary designer and manufacturer based in London. With a Master of Arts in Design Products from the Royal College of Art 2013, he c...Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsPaper
- Coffee Table by Wolfgang HoffmannBy Wolfgang HoffmannLocated in London, GBWolgang Hoffmann (1900–1969), son of Josef Hoffman. Began working for the Howell Co in the 1930s, a company, of which he eventually became a resident des...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Vintage glass & forged metal coffee table UK, 1980sLocated in London, GBBeaming out like a sunburst, this forged metal coffee table has a dynamic shape. The glass is balanced upon four protruding rings, which desp...Category
Vintage 1980s Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Concrete Cantilever Coffee TableBy Giovanni Offredi, SaporitiLocated in Jensen Beach, FLRare coffee table designed in the late 1970s by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsConcrete, Metal
- Paracarro table, Giovanni Offredi, Saporiti, Italy, 1970sBy Saporiti, Giovanni OffrediLocated in La Tour-de-Peilz, CHResulting from the fruitful and long collaboration between the talented Italian designer Giovanni Offredi and the furniture manufacturer Sergio Saporiti, this Paracarro table made in...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsConcrete, Cement, Steel, Chrome
- Midcentury Giovanni Offredi Paracarro Dining Table and Chairs for Saporiti, 1973By Saporiti, Giovanni OffrediLocated in Roma, ITUnique "Paracarro" model dining table with a set of four chairs. It was designed by Giovanni Offredi and produced by Saporiti in Italy during 1973. Based on a prototype project, i...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
MaterialsConcrete, Chrome, Steel
- Giovanni Offredi Onda Glass Coffee Table for Saporiti ca. 1970'sBy Giovanni Offredi, SaporitiLocated in New York, NYClassic Post Modern Italian design glass top coffee table designed by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti. This example is in good original condition, the metal base shows some oxidation, ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia Postmodern Freeform Coffee Table, 1980sBy Giovanni Offredi, SaporitiLocated in South Bend, INAn exceptional postmodern free form coffee table By Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia Italy, 1980s Red lacquered tiger...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Square Birdseye Maple Coffee Table by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti, Italy 1980sBy Giovanni Offredi, SaporitiLocated in Chicago, ILA gorgeous square coffee table designed by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti in the 1980s. This table was constructed with wood and has a striking birdseye maple veneer. The base consist...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass