The project, curated by Ambra Medda for the Salone del Mobile 2018, Villa Borsani: Casa Libera!, offers visitors the chance to tour the elegant villa in Varedo. Normally closed to the public, this marvelous estate sits well beyond the bounds of Milan’s Fuorisalone. This year, however, Ambra Medda says the project was a special exception in light of the upcoming Osvaldo Borsani exhibit at the Triennale di Milano, set to inaugurate on May 15th.
Curating the event is Norman Foster and Tommaso Fantoni, Borsani’s own grandson. Given that the exhibit was scheduled to open just weeks after Milan Design Week, the team decided to honor the great Italian artist by opening the doors to his home for the event.
Let’s just say it’s worth the trip. Designed by Osvaldo Borsani for his twin brother Fulgenzio, the villa built between 1939 and 1945 has been home to three generations of the Borsani family until 2008. The rationality in the division of spaces, large rooms on multiple floors, and the many pieces of art from Adriano Spilimbergo, Antonio Voltan, Lucio Fontana, Guglielmo Ulrich and Agenore Fabbri make Villa Borsani a modern masterpiece.
Those that know of Osvaldo Borsani will be delighted to catch a glimpse of the shy and modest architect’s vision. Designer, architect, and businessman, he was the first of his family to understand the importance of transforming his father’s furniture workshop into an international company. Together with his brother Fulgenzio, he founded the Tecno group in 1953, giving birth to an Italian business that would soon become the country’s symbol of industrial design. The company ran on an impeccable strategy, mixing artisanal experience with innovative technology.
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Throughout his entire life, Osvaldo Borsani strived to arrive at the perfect balance between practicality and aesthetics, and Villa Borsani is perhaps the best example of this.
“After having decided to reopen Villa Borsani for the Salone del Mobile of Milan”, says Ambra Medda, “I was asked to soften the home with small decorative modifications, adding a feminine touch”.
It didn’t take much. She removed a few armchairs from the studio, added a couple in the living room, and incorporated small glass vases featuring floral compositions, along with towels in the bathroom and a relaxing musical selection to be heard throughout the home.
Looking through Osvaldo’s archives, countless sketches, notes, and watercolor paintings were found. A true hidden gem for design and architecture lovers to catch while they can. Just make an appointment with the staff that manages the archives inside the Villa, open to the public during the Salone del Mobile and by appointment until September 15th.
www.osvaldoborsani.com
At the opening: A LIVING AREA IN VAREDO’S VILLA BORSANI
