Afra and Tobia Scarpa Vintage Armchairs Mod. "Coronado" for B&B
View Similar Items
Afra and Tobia Scarpa Vintage Armchairs Mod. "Coronado" for B&B
About the Item
- Creator:B&B Italia (Manufacturer),Afra & Tobia Scarpa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 37.8 in (96 cm)Depth: 35.44 in (90 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1966
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. The sofa is in good and original vintage condition, slight scratches and light wear consistent with its time and use. Defects and missing. Being a VINTAGE item it is possible that it will bear some scratches or defects.
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4911231374102
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 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.
- Piero Ranzani Italian Armchairs Mod. "Anna", 1966By Piero RanzaniLocated in Milano, ITRare pair of armchairs designed by Piero Ranzani in 1966, for the fine Italian manufacturer Elam. The armchairs are part of the "Anna" model. The armchai...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsIron
- Fuchsia Vintage Armchairs by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for AzucenaBy Luigi Caccia Dominioni, AzucenaLocated in Milano, ITSplendid set of 2 fabric armchairs designed by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for the prestigious manufacture Azucena Italia. The vintage armchairs are made of brown, fuchsia and purple striped fabric, which creates a very colorful geometric effect. The lines are very hard and geometric, wonderfully eccentric. The frame is made of anodized aluminum, shiny silver, which connects to the spectacularly beautiful square, hollowed out feet. The cushions also act as square armrests, very colorful. The armchairs come from the Rome home of Luigi Caccia Dominioni. The colored armchairs are ideal for furnishing eccentric and colorful living rooms.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Vintage Wooden Armchairs in Fabric and BrassLocated in Milano, ITThe armchairs were designed in the 1950s for fine Italian manufacture. It is upholstered in the original fabric. The structure is very simple and of hard shapes, made of simple woo...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
$2,745 / set - Vintage Armchair in Gilt Wood and Blue VelvetLocated in Milano, ITEccentric antique giltwood and velvet armchair from the late 1800s and early 1900s, fine Italian manufacture. The armchair has a frame made entirely of curved gilt wood, very elegan...Category
Antique Early 1900s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Vintage Wooden Armchairs in Purple and Green VelvetLocated in Milano, ITGorgeous set of two large velvet armchairs of fine Italian manufacture from the 1950s. The set is made of fabric reupholstered in purple and acid green velvet, very beautiful and ec...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Paolo Buffa Vintage Italian Wood and Fabric Armchairs 'Attr'By Paolo BuffaLocated in Milano, ITSplendid armchairs attributed to the great master Paolo buffa of Italian manufacture, entirely original. The armchairs have a strong and beautiful wooden base; the feet are struts e...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- High Back Armchair Coronado by Afra e Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italiy 70sBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B ItaliaLocated in Padova, IT70s Design Afra e Tobia Scarpa Producer B&B Italia Coronado high back armchair color dark brown Good condition: barely used with minimal signs of aging and wear Dimensions: L ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Pair of Leather Coronado Armchairs Design Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B ItaliaBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B ItaliaLocated in Tourcoing, FRPair of lounge and comfy leather Coronado armchairs design by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia.Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Italian brown leather armchairs Coronado by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B, 1970sBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B ItaliaLocated in MIlano, ITItalian modern brown leather armchairs Coronado by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B, 1970s Pair of armchairs mod. Coronado in brown leather with high back. The seat, armrests and backre...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Plastic
- Italian orange velvet armchairs Coronado by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B, 1970sBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B ItaliaLocated in MIlano, ITItalian modern orange velvet armchairs Coronado by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B, 1970s Pair of armchairs mod. Coronado in orange velvet with high back. The seat, armrests and backre...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsPlastic, Fabric
- Set of Vintage Armchairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B, 1970sBy B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Roma, ITSet of armchairs for B&B is an original armchairs set designed by Afra e Tobia Scarpa and realized in 1970s. This set is composed by four velvet armchairs that can be combined to ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Coronado Leather Armchair by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italy, 70sBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B ItaliaLocated in Lucija, SICoronado armchair in black leather, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa. Produced by B&B Italy in the 70s. In good condition with some signs of use on the leather. All visible on the p...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Foam
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.