Italian Modern Armchair, Black Leather and Wenge Wood, Italy

Italian architect and designer Antonella Scarpitta has been creating luxurious, timeless furniture since her career began in the late 1970s. Her expertise in designing all kinds of comfortable seating is evident in her plush armchairs and sofas, while the clean, spare forms of her tables draw on early modernist works and the teachings of the Bauhaus. She has said that she fashions her furnishings to reflect "strong formal purity."

The Sicilian-born Scarpitta studied at the State Institute of Industrial Planning in Cantu. In 1978 she opened her studio in nearby Brianza. That same year, she began work on her first collection — Collego — an interlocking series of rearrangeable walnut wall panels that afforded consumers the opportunity to hang shelves in a living room or secure types of case furniture to a wall elsewhere in a space. Since then, she has been active in interior projects and industrial design. 

Scarpitta is credited with having designed Dinamica, a microfiber fabric used in various forms of apparel and car upholstery. She has created and renovated many private residences and industrial buildings over the years, including villas in Rome. From 1985–1990, she served as creative director for the Italian furniture company Swan. 

Scarpitta has developed a wealth of collaborative relationships with a range of iconic manufacturers such as de Sede and Thayer Coggin over the years, and the first decade of the 21st century yielded many more partnerships for her. In 2001, she founded the Antonella Scarpitta Designer A 360° studio. A few years later, her SAPPO seating for Hans Kaufeld won the Red Dot award for technological and aesthetic innovation. Her work has been a part of exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, the Design Museum and more.

Find vintage Antonella Scarpitta tables, sofas and chairs on 1stDibs.