Soriana Lounge Chair in Cognac Leather by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina
View Similar Items
Soriana Lounge Chair in Cognac Leather by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 25.5 in (64.77 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)Depth: 37 in (93.98 cm)Seat Height: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1969
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Leather is in very good condition with prior repairs that exhibit a light distressed look and has an admirable patina on the leather. Structurally sound and sturdy. Ready to be used immediately.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1330211065731
Afra & 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.
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.
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 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.)
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 Afra & Tobia Scarpa lounge chairs, dining chairs, floor lamps and other furniture today on 1stDibs.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- Mario Bellini for Cassina 'Cab 414' Leather Lounge Chair, Signed, circa 1980sBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Los Angeles, CAA beautiful black leather Mario Bellini Cab lounge chair, Model #414, signed Cassina, designed in the 1970s. These fine examples of the cab line by Mario Bellini for Cassina are classic staples for luxury interior designers and collectors alike, these lounge variations of the design are larger and deeper than the similar dining armchair, and have the addition of the seat cushion. Signed underneath with Cassina embossing to the leather. Mario Bellini described the 1970s bestselling design for the Cab collection as “This was a new kind of chair, constructed totally out of leather, much cloned since then.” and is now a signature piece in Cassina’s Contemporanei collection. Cab was the first-ever chair to feature a free-standing leather structure, inspired by how our skin fits over our skeleton. The upholstery consists of sixteen pieces of saddle leather. They then undergo fourteen discrete procedures, again by hand. The pieces are sewn together only when their outer edges have been trimmed to ensure a perfect fit. Once assembled, the cover is attached to the chair’s steel skeleton and held in place by means of a zipper fastening as in a bespoke tailored...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$3,400 Sale Price22% Off - Cognac Leather Lounge Chairs by Mathias Hoffmann for De Sede, 1980s, SignedBy De Sede, Mathias HoffmannLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis incredible pair of Matthias Hoffman for De Sede, Switzerland, model DS-264 lounge chairs, circa 1980s, features gorgeous cognac color leather and aluminum legs. Signed on underside with branded De Sede fabric. *Priced for the pair, contact us if you wish to purchase a single chair only. Classic Post-Modern design, comfortable chairs with the quality construction that 1980s De Sede was known for, encapsulating the term 'they don't make them like they used to' - these chairs have lasted decades and can continue for decades longer. Try finding a set of lounge chairs from today's production that can last the test of time. These Matthias Hoffman for De Sede easy chairs...Category
Vintage 1980s Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
$3,600 Sale Price / set25% Off - 'Sara' Leather Lounge Chairs by Guido Faleschini for Mariani, c 1971, SignedBy Guido Faleschini, i4 MarianiLocated in Los Angeles, CAA beautiful off-white leather pair of lounge chairs by illustrious architect and designer Guido Faleschini for i4 Mariani, Italy. Designed in the 1970s, this pair of soft, comfy, lea...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
$5,200 Sale Price / set20% Off - Charles Eames for Herman Miller Tandem Aluminum Lounge Chairs in Edelman LeatherBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Los Angeles, CAIncredible pair of restored and reimagined Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller, 1962 Collection, Tandem modular seating that was originally designed for Chicago O'Hare Airport, w...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Yrjö Kukkapuro 'Skaala' Leather Lounge Chairs for Avarte, Finland, 1970sBy Avarte, Finland 1, Yrjö KukkapuroLocated in Los Angeles, CAIncredible set of five collectible 'Skaala' lounge armchairs by Yrjo¨ Kukkapuro for Avarte, made in Finland, circa 1970. Featuring original burgundy red leather seat cushions, birch and tubular steel frames with sleigh legs capped with rubber feet. *NOTE*, we have sold 2 chairs, so we have 3 left at this time. This listing is priced individually. There is so much that make these chairs great. First, the birch wood backs and arms are so cool - making the chairs excellent to float within a room where the backs can be seen. Consider using as office guest chairs...Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
$999 Sale Price / item54% Off - Egg Chair by Arne Jacobson for Fritz Hansen in Blue Leather, SignedBy Fritz Hansen, Arne JacobsenLocated in Los Angeles, CAA fantastic signed example egg chair by Arne Jacobson for Fritz Hansen in a custom commissioned electrifying blue high-grade leather with in...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
$6,999 Sale Price36% Off
- Soriana Lounge Chair by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for CassinaBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Byron Bay, NSWSoriana lounge chair by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina. Original leather and chromed steel. Iconic chaise lounge by Italian designer couple Afra & Tobia Scarpa designed in 1969 and ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Soriana Chairs by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Original Fabric, Italy, 1970sBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in London, GBA superb pair of original Soriana chairs, designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa and produced by Cassina in the 1970s. These examples are a rare find indeed - all in great condition with or...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina 'Soriana' Lounge Chair in CorduroyBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, pair of 'Soriana' lounge chair, model '944', corduroy, chrome-plated steel, Italy, 1969 Iconic lounge chair by Italian designer couple Afra & Tobia ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Soriana Lounge Chair & Ottoman by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, 1969By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Brooklyn, NYDesigned by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in 1969 for Cassina, the Soriana lounge chair is a piece of design history. Here we have a completely original vintage example in original velvet co...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$8,199 Sale Price / set21% Off - Soriana Lounge Chair & Ottoman by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, 1969By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Brooklyn, NYDesigned by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in 1969 for Cassina, the Soriana lounge chair is a piece of design history. Here we have a completely original vintage example in original velvet co...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$8,199 Sale Price / set21% Off - Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina Pair of 'Soriana' Lounge Chairs in CorduroyBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, pair of 'Soriana' lounge chairs, model '944', corduroy, chrome-plated steel, Italy, 1969 Iconic lounge chairs by Italian designer couple Afra & Tobi...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.