Vintage Tobia Scarpa Signed Minimalist Steel And Brass Fireplace Andirons

Widely recognized as superstars of postmodern Italian design, husband-and-wife team Afra and Tobia Scarpa (1937–2011; b. 1935) collaboratively created chairs, sofas and other furniture that work equally well in both traditional and cutting-edge environments.

Afra Bianchin and Tobia Scarpa met as architecture students at the Università Iuav di Venezia. In a class led by architect and furniture designer Franco Albini, they created their first collaborative piece, the Pigreco armchair, later produced with Gavina. After graduating in 1957, Tobia Scarpa worked for Murano glass company Venini & Co. before the couple opened a studio in Afra’s hometown, Montebelluna, in 1960. (Tobia, the son of famed glass artist and architect Carlo Scarpa, was born in Venice.)

Ranging from architecture and interior design to furniture and clothing, the Scarpas’ practice from its beginnings in the mid-1950s to the 21st century has included a diverse scope of projects combining new technology with thoughtful function and sculptural yet simple forms.

For Afra and Tobia, a close collaborative process was pivotal to the success of their designs. The duo was also prolific — they designed for the most influential European manufacturers, including B&B Italia, Cassina, Knoll and FLOS. With respect to the latter, Afra and Tobia were among the legendary Italian lighting maker’s earliest collaborators, and their pioneering designs for the brand included the Papillon lamp, one of the first fixtures to use halogen technology. Their most recognized designs include the Bastiano sofa (1962), the Vanessa bed (1959), the Coronado sofa (1966) and the Soriana seating collection (1970). Work on the Soriana sofa began in late 1969 for an early 1970 debut, and it feels as radical today as it did in its heyday.

Architecture was also a central part of Afra and Tobia’s practice, which spanned residential buildings and factories for Italian companies such as Benetton. Their commissions for the global fashion brand included numerous industrial projects, from textile plants to storefronts. By 1985, Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s work was celebrated in a 30-year retrospective at Center Four in Queens, New York. Looking around the 30,000-square-foot exhibition space, Afra joked to the New York Times, “Seeing all those things makes us feel very tired, and now we feel that maybe we worked too much.”

It was not too much for their legacy, as Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s work continues to inspire new generations. Scarpa designs are in collections at the Louvre, the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The couple was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1970 for the Soriana armchair.

Find vintage Tobia Scarpa table lamps, sofas, dining chairs and other furniture today on 1stDibs.

In the studio a bed of smoldering coal lies ready to transform inflexible metal into something malleable. James DeMartis uses the same blacksmithing tools-fire, hammer and anvil, which "haven't changed in thousands of years..." , to facillitate his designs which are anything but archaic. His designs reflect past traditions and techniques, yet his style is contemporary and approach unorthodox. DeMartis makes sculptures of metal and crafts metal (iron, brass, bronze, stainless steel) into practical objects as well. Deliberately changing the nature of the metal by deconstructing it, by melting and distorting it's properties - he creates patterns and textures reminiscent in nature. By using these techniques his work appears delicate and light, with a visual "movement" which belies the materials inherent solidity. In addition to sculpture, DeMartis' custom work consists of chandeliers, railings, drapery rods, gates, coat racks, fireplace accessories, table bases, wine cellars... He incorporates his designs into functional pieces. By observing the beauty of form in artifacts and simple, common objects he enjoys making bases, stands or brackets which elevate, quite literally, the value and presentation of ordinary pieces into art. A diverse number of collectors, designers, architects, home owners and contractors have developed lasting relationships with Mr. DeMartis. Thank you to Joanne Pilgrim at The East Hampton Star for contributing the above paraphrased text.