Soriana Two-Seat Sofa by Afra e Tobia Scarpa for Cassina
View Similar Items
Soriana Two-Seat Sofa by Afra e Tobia Scarpa for Cassina
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Manufacturer),Afra & Tobia Scarpa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.6 in (65 cm)Width: 66.93 in (170 cm)Depth: 39.38 in (100 cm)Seat Height: 14.97 in (38 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Antwerp, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU933418735162
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.
- Soriana Two Seater by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Green MohairBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Antwerp, BEScarpa; Afra & Tobia Scarpa; Soriana Sofa; Cassina; 1970s; Italian Design; Italy; Two Seater; Post-Modern; Green; Fabric; Mohair; This Soriana two-seater ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Cassina Soriana Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Italy, 1970sBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Antwerp, BESoriana Sofa; Scarpa; Afra & Tobia Scarpa; Cassina; Italy; 1970s; Hollywood Regency; Minimalist; Italian Design; Afra and Tobia Scarpa Soriana lounge chair...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Cassina Soriana Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Italy, 1970sBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Antwerp, BESofa; Afra; Tobia; Scarpa; Cassina; Soriana; Settee; Couch; Italy; 1970's; Hollywood Regency; Minimalist; Italian Design; Soriana sofa in original upholstery, designed by Afra &...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool
- Cassina 'Soriana' Four Seater Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in Bouclé, 1970sBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Antwerp, BEAfra and Tobia Scarpa, soriana, Cassina, Italy 1970s, bouclé wool Manufactured by Cassina in the 1970s, the Soriana collection was meant to express beauty and comfort by using a w...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Cassina 'Soriana' Cognac Leather Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, 1970sBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Antwerp, BEScarpa; Cassina; Tobia Scarpa; Afra Scarpa; Minimalist; Italian Design; Hollywood Regency; Post-modern; Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Soriana, reupholstered in aniline leather....Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Cassina 'Soriana' Four-Seater Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in Bouclé, 1970'sBy Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Antwerp, BECassina; Scarpa; Mid-Century Modern; Boucle Wool; Afra & Tobia Scarpa; Post-Modern; Postmodern Design; 1970s Design; Italy; Italian Design; Manufactured by Cassina in the 1970s, ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa “Soriana” Sofa for Cassina, 1969By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa “Soriana” three-seater for Cassina, velvet and chromed steel, Italy, 1969. Although technically designed in the 1960s, the "Soriana" model by the Italian duo Tob...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsChrome
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa “Soriana” Sofa for Cassina, 1969By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa “Soriana” three-seater sofa for Cassina, original brown leather and chromed steel, Italy, 1969. Although technically designed in the 1960s, the "Soriana" model b...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsChrome
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa “Soriana” Sofa for Cassina, 1969By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa “Soriana” two-seater sofa for Cassina, black leather, Italy, 1969. Although technically designed in the 1960s, the "Soriana" model by the Italian duo Tobia an...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsIron
- Soriana 4 seater sofa by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina in cognac leatherBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in OSS, NBSoriana 4 seater sofa by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina In its original cognac leather and chromed steel. This unique vintage piece from Italy is labeled with Cassina. Good conditi...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Soriana Sofa design Afra and Tobia Scarpa for CassinaBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in bari, ITSoriana two-seater sofa, upholstered in black velvet, was designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa and produced by Cassina in the 1970s. The Soriana collection intended to express beauty and comfort by using an entire bundle of fabric held by a chromed steel clamp. The "Soriana Chair" was the first piece in the collection and won the Compasso d'Oro in 1969 for its design. This two seater armchair has been recently upholstered and is therefore in excellent condition. n.b. the price refers to the single piece. Tobia Scarpa Italian architect, designer and restorer. He worked for much of his career alongside his wife Afra Bianchin (Montebelluna, March 28, 1937 - Trevignano, July 30, 2011). Their work can be found in many museums in the United States and Europe, including MoMa and the Louvre. He has collaborated with companies such as B&B Italia, San Lorenzo Silver...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel
$7,922 Sale Price / item20% Off - Afra and Tobia Scarpa Brown Leather Two-Seater Soriana Sofa for Cassina, 1969By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Vicenza, ITSoriana two-seater sofa, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, and produced by the Italian manufacturer Cassina in 1969. It features its original brown leather upholstery. Winner of t...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Space Age Sofas
MaterialsChrome
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.
Is Lionel Jadot the Willy Wonka of Upcycled Belgian Design?
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.