Set of Vintage Armchairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B, 1970s
About the Item
- Creator:Afra & Tobia Scarpa (Designer),B&B Italia (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 26.38 in (67 cm)Width: 33.47 in (85 cm)Depth: 145.67 in (370 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Insurance may be requested by customers as additional service, contact us for more information.
- Seller Location:Roma, IT
- Reference Number:
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.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Rome, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Soriana Three Seater Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy 1970sBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Roma, ITSoriana Three Seater Sofa for Cassina, Italy 1970s. Black Leather, original Cassina Label. Outstanding piece in near perfect condition, with origin...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Soriana Three Seater Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy 1970sBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Roma, ITSoriana Three Seater Sofa for Cassina, Italy 1970s. Black Leather, original Cassina Label. Outstanding piece in near perfect condition, with origin...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 2 Vintage Armchairs , Italy, 1970sLocated in Roma, ITSet of 2 Vintage armchairs is an original design item realized by Italian Production, Italy in 1970s. Wood and leather, Excellent condition. ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Sofa and Armchair Set, 1970sLocated in Roma, ITVintage Sofa and armchair set is a 70s set. White original fabric. Dimensions: Sof, 220 L x 80 H x 90 D cm; Armchair L 102 x H 80 x 93 D ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsFabric
- Biagio 282 Table Lamp by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Flos, Italy 1968By Flos, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Roma, ITBiagio 282 table light is designed by Tobia Scarpa and Afra Bianchin Scarpa, 1968. Made by Flos, Milan H. 34 x 39 x 13.5 cm. Botticino marble. Mar...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsMarble
- Set of Sofa, Armchair and Pouf by Michele Cadestin for Airbone, France 1970sBy Michel CadestinLocated in Roma, ITSet of sofa, armchair and pouf is an original design artwork realized by Michele Cadestin for Airbone, France in 1970s. The set includes a 2 seats sofa, an armchair and a pouf. ...Category
Vintage 1970s French Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- 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
- Soriana Lounge Chairs by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, 1970s Set of 2By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Lasne, BEArmchair in leather black and metal . Stamped Cassina. Wear due to time and age of the chair. Measure: Seat height 35cm.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Soriana Lounge Chairs by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, 1970s Set of 2By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Lasne, BEBrown leather and metal chairs designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa. Modèle: Soriana. Stamped Cassina. Seat height 41 cm. Wear due to time and age.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 4 Vintage 'Dialogo' Chairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, 1970sBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B ItaliaLocated in Zagreb, HRSet of four 'Dialogo' chromed dining chairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, 1970s. The 'Dialogo' model, also known as 'Dessau' model in later production (or 'Dialogo Dessau)...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Italian modern Black armchair Artona by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Maxalto, 1970sBy Maxalto, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in MIlano, ITItalian modern Black armchair Artona by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Maxalto, 1970s Vintage and fantastic armchair mod. Artona with seat, armrests and backrest composed of soft cushions...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
5 Reasons to Collect Art
From discovering new mediums to supporting rising talents, there are many good motives for building a collection of meaningful works. Learn the hows and whys of art collecting with our guide.
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.