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.
Side/Console/Dinner Table by Tobia Scarpa for Knoll International, 1969
By Coene de Frères, Knoll, Tobia Scarpa
Located in Hilversum, NL
Introducing the 'André' side table, a timeless design by Tobia Scarpa from 1969, crafted by Knoll International/De Coene. With its sleek chromed steel frame, removable legs, and ele...
Steel, Chrome
André Coffee Table designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, 1960s
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Good vintage condition. The table can be viewed in person at our Brooklyn studio, NYC, by appointment only. An iconic Italian modernist coffee table Andre designed by Tobia Scarpa f...
Chrome
Tobia Scarpa "Andre" Square Dining Table for Gavina, 1968
By Tobia Scarpa, Gavina
Located in Sacile, PN
Andre square dining table designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, dated 1968. Smoked glass top on chrome structure.
Chrome
$15,000
H 29 in W 83 in D 24 in
1984 Robert Venturi & Denise Scott Brown for Knoll Console Table in Maple
By Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Post-Modern Rectangular Console Table in Birdseye Maple Plywood, designed by Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi for Knoll in 1984. The silhouette features stylized flat ...
Steel
$3,450 / item
H 14.97 in W 44.89 in D 44.89 in
1970s Low Tables 'Andre' by Tobia Scarpa for Knoll International
By Knoll, Tobia Scarpa
Located in Dronten, NL
Classic “Andre” low table designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina/Knoll International, featuring its original chromed steel base and a new matching glass top. This iconic model showcases...
Chrome
Original "André" table, designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in Paris, FR
Tobia Scarpa for Gavina chrome and glass top dining or conference table, called the "Andre" table. The frame of the top slides in an 'x' shape into the four cylindrical legs. The bar...
Chrome
'Andre' Square Dining Table by Tobia Scarpa for Knoll
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in Hanover, MA
Designed in 1967 for Gavina, the "Andre" dining table by Tobia Scarpa produced by Knoll. Chromed steel frame and chromed tubular steel legs, round black leather pads on top of legs s...
Chrome
1980's Postmodern Tobia Scarpa for Knoll Andre Dining Table
By Tobia Scarpa, Massimo Vignelli, Knoll, Piotr Sierakowski
Located in Burbank, CA
Vintage Post Modern dining table for sale. The table was designed in 1968 by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, and then went to be manufactured by Knoll. It's the Andre dining table with a st...
Metal
$3,960 / set
H 30.5 in W 48 in D 48 in
Tobia Scarpa “André” Square Dining Table for Gavina / Knoll International, 1970s
By Tobia Scarpa, Knoll
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Tobia Scarpa “André” Square Dining Table for Gavina / Knoll International, Chrome & Glass, 48" Two Pieces: Table base and Glass Top An architectural square table of exceptional mod...
Chrome
"Andre" dining table by Tobia Scarpa for Knoll
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in BE
This Knoll dining table by Tobia Scarpa features a fume glass top resting on a chrome architectural frame with the original round orange leather pads on each leg. The piece is in goo...
Chrome
Dining Table 'Andre' by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, Italy, 1960s
By Gavina, Knoll, Tobia Scarpa
Located in Antwerp, BE
The 'Andre' dining table, designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina Italy in 1968 and later manufactured by Knoll International, showcases a sleek, minimalist design with a solid chrome fr...
Chrome
Dining table by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, 1960
By Gavina, Tobia Scarpa
Located in Boom, Vlaams Gewest
Dining table designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, Italy, circa 1960. This striking piece reflects Scarpa’s architectural approach to design, combining clean geometry with refined mat...
Metal
$17,000
H 32.5 in W 99 in D 17.25 in
Italian ‘Artona’ Wood + Leather Console by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Maxalto, 1975
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Chicago, IL
This rare Italian wood and leather console comes from the inaugural Artona series, designed in 1975 by Afra Bianchin Scarpa and Tobia Scarpa for Maxalto—a collection that designers s...
Leather, Mahogany
Dining Table by Florence Knoll for Knoll International
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful dining table designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll International. Table features a teak top with a chromed steel base and is in excellent condition.
Teak
Low Table by Tobia Scarpa for Knoll
By Knoll, Tobia Scarpa
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A substantial square low table having a heavy gridded architectural steel base supporting a thick smoked glass top.
Steel
$14,796
H 14.18 in W 45.67 in D 45.67 in
Gae Aulenti Space Age Marble Jumbo Coffee Table for Knoll International, 1969
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Vicenza, IT
Jumbo coffee table, designed by Gae Aulenti and produced by the American manufacturer Knoll international in 1965. Legs made of white Carrara marble, tabletop of black Marquina ma...
Marble, Carrara Marble