Aqua Leather Lounge Chairs by Scarpa for B&B Italia, 1970's
View Similar Items
Aqua Leather Lounge Chairs by Scarpa for B&B Italia, 1970's
About the Item
- Creator:B&B Italia (Manufacturer),Tobia Scarpa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 36 in (91.44 cm)Depth: 34 in (86.36 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Touch up to leather. It is very difficult to capture the exact color in photography.
- Seller Location:Austin, TX
- Reference Number:Seller: 52741stDibs: LU1140225420872
Tobia Scarpa
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.
B&B Italia
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. From the outset, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. In the early 1970s, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
For decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain iconic today — be they Gaetano Pesce’s outwardly curvaceous Up seating (made for C&B, reintroduced by B&B) or tables from industrial designer Paolo Piva, each more sophisticated than the next in their geometrically complex steel-tube bases. B&B Italia earned four prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards: in 1979 for Mario Bellini’s Le Bambole, in 1984 for the Sisamo wardrobe system by Studio Kairos, in 1987 for Antonio Citterio’s modular Sity sofa and, in 1989, the first award given to a manufacturing company itself.
Other notable names who designed for B&B Italia over the course of its 54-year history include Patricia Urquiola, Naoto Fukasawa, Zaha Hadid, Ettore Sottsass and Vincent Van Duysen, to name a very few. And while these names bring star power to the B&B brand, in many cases, it was B&B Italia who helped usher in their celebrity, fostering a wave of design talent on the world stage.
The company’s forward-thinking vision manifested in its own headquarters, too: In 1972, B&B Italia tapped architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers to design a steel-framed, postmodern-style home for the brand, whose crisscrossing metal exoskeleton is reminiscent of the pair’s Centre Pompidou in Paris, which was built at roughly the same time. Now, B&B Italia manages a contract division and outdoor section as well as its residential arm, and it also controls production for Maxalto, a brand spun out with furniture designs by Antonio Citterio.
At 1stDibs, find a range of vintage B&B Italia furniture — including sofas, cocktail tables and more.
- Pair of Lounge Chairs, Maison Regain, France, 1980'sBy Maison RegainLocated in Austin, TXPair armless lounge chairs by collectible maker, Maison Regain, with solid elm frames. Notice the handsome slatted backs. Newly upholstered with foam and down cushions in luxurious C...Category
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Elm
- Woodline Chair by Marco Zanuso, Italy, 1970'sBy Marco Zanuso, ArflexLocated in Austin, TXWoodline black calf leather lounge chair by Marco Zanuso for Arflex. Supple original black leather upholstery sits within a bent plywood matte black frame. Very comfortable. Italy...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Bentwood
- Pair of PK20 Lounge Chairs by Poul Kjærholm, Denmark, 1980'sBy Fritz Hansen, Poul KjærholmLocated in Austin, TXHighly collectible pair of rust leather and chrome PK20 lounge chairs by Poul Kjærholm. Originally designed in 1968, these examples were manufactured by Fritz Hansen. Fine exampl...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- B&B Italia Leather Diesis Sofa, ItalyBy Antonio Citterio, B&B ItaliaLocated in Austin, TXExtraordinary recent edition (exact date of manufacture is unknown) of Antonio Citterio's 1979 Diesis DS217 model sofa for B & B Italia. Analine dyed saddle colored leather and polis...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsAluminum
- Italian Leather Sling Chair, 1960'sBy BerniniLocated in Austin, TXHandsome cognac and beech sling chair with unique details at arms and back. Comfortable as is or with the addition of a seat cushion. Style of Bernini, Italy, 1960's.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Beech
- Black Leather & Chrome Armchair, 1970-80's Two AvailableLocated in Austin, TXEuropean classic modern armchair in black leather and tubular chrome. Comfortable with generous scale and slight bounce as a result of the cantilever...Category
Vintage 1980s European Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsChrome
- 'Le Bambole' Lounge Chair by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1970s ItalyBy B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Los Angeles, CAStunning Le Bambole chaise lounge chair by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia. Made in Italy and presented here with its original 1970s wool felt upholstery in Camel in fantastic condition...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Foam
- Pair of 'Amanta' Leather Lounge Chairs by Mario Bellini for B&B ItaliaBy B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in New York, NYA pair of 'Amanta' cognac brown leather and fiberglass lounge chairs, originally designed in Italy by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia in 1966. The design was extremely popular and in great demand, with a waitlist for eager purchasers. The 'Amanta' was produced as a modular piece so you can place the two together to form a small sofa or stand alone as lounge chairs. The flexibility was made possible by the strategically placed vertical slit in the backrest. With their original cognac brown leather upholstery that is wonderful vintage condition. The curved and molded shells that hold the cushions are made of dark chocolate brown fiberglass and rest upon chocolate brown fiberglass ball...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Fiberglass
- Pair of Leather B&B Italia Leather Lounge ChairsBy B&B Italia, Tobia ScarpaLocated in Rockaway, NJNice warm grey leather upholstery lounge chairs by B&B Italia.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
$4,400 / set - Pair of Lounge Chairs by Tobia Scarpa for the B&B ItaliaBy Tobia ScarpaLocated in Los Angeles, CAElegant and modern pair of large armchairs designed by Tobia Scarpa for the B&B Italia manufacture in 1974 The pair of armchairs is upholstered in a brown leather. The armchairs are ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Coronado Lounge Armchairs by Tobia Scarpa for C&b ItaliaBy Tobia Scarpa, C&B ItaliaLocated in Byron Bay, NSWCoronado lounge armchaairs chairs by Tobia Scarpa for C&B Italia ( first edition ) modello Depositato original vintage upholstery. with their Structure made of steel and aluminium. ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Pair of Tobia Scarpa "Coronado" Black Leather Lounge Chairs for B&B Italia, 70sBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B ItaliaLocated in Sacile, PNCoronado lounge chairs designed by Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia. The project is dated 1966. Black leather, great condition.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Rooms We Love: 11 Splendid Living Rooms
Common wisdom used to declare the kitchen the hub of the house. These days, the living room seems to have assumed the role of domestic focal point. Unlike the Victorian parlor, stiffly furnished and reserved for guests, today’s living room is a central place for reading, conversation and, well, living, with furnishings that lend themselves to both casual lounging and elegant entertaining.
Vincent Van Duysen Imbues Minimalism with Warmth
The Antwerp-based designer lends his unique touch to homes, boutiques and offices in Belgium, the United States and Germany, as well as furniture for B&B Italia and Molteni.