Afra and Tobia Scarpa Chairs in Black and Walnut for Cassina
View Similar Items
Afra and Tobia Scarpa Chairs in Black and Walnut for Cassina
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Manufacturer),Afra & Tobia Scarpa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 84 in (213.36 cm)Width: 52 in (132.08 cm)Depth: 55 in (139.7 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1965
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Waalwijk, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU933110949261
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.
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.
Established in 2006, Morentz has a team of approximately 55 restorers, upholsterers, interior advisers and art historians, making it a gallery, workshop and upholstery studio, all in one. Every day, a carefully selected array of 20th-century furniture arrives from all over the world at the firm’s warehouse, where the team thoroughly examines each piece to determine what, if any, work needs to be done. Whether that means new upholstery or a complete restoration, Morentz's aim is always to honor the designer’s intention while fulfilling the wishes of the client. The team is up to any challenge, from restoring a single piece to its original glory to furnishing a large-scale hotel project.
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina Sofa in Walnut and Brown LeatherBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, three-seat sofa, model '920', brown leather, walnut, Italy, 1966. This high quality sofa is designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina in 1966. Th...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina 'Ciprea' Lounge ChairBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, 'Ciprea' easy chair, fabric, Italy, 1968 This design is made possible by the creative and innovative thinking of the Italian designer duo Afra & To...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina 'Soriana' Lounge Chair in CorduroyBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, pair of 'Soriana' lounge chair, model '944', corduroy, chrome-plated steel, Italy, 1969 Iconic lounge chair by Italian designer couple Afra & Tobia ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina Settee in Brown LeatherBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, two-seat sofa brown leather, walnut, Italy, 1966. This high quality settee is designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina in 1966. The design is bu...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina Pair of 'Soriana' Lounge Chairs in CorduroyBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, pair of 'Soriana' lounge chairs, model '944', corduroy, chrome-plated steel, Italy, 1969 Iconic lounge chairs by Italian designer couple Afra & Tobi...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa ‘Benetton’ Chair in Leather and SteelBy Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Benetton Office, chair, brass, leather, steel, Italy, 1985. This chair is designed for the office of the clothing brand Benetton by Afra & Tobia Scarpa. This...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa "925" Easy Chair for Cassina, 1966By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa "925" easy chair for Cassina, plywood and red leather, Italy, 1966. In 1966 Afra & Tobia Scarpa designed the "925" chair, realized in walnut and leather. The low chair is inspired by a sketch made in 1943...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Plywood
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa "925" Easy Chair for Cassina, 1966By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa "925" easy chair for Cassina, plywood and black leather, Italy, 1966. In 1966 Afra & Tobia Scarpa designed the "925" chair, realized in walnut and leather. The armchair is inspired by a sketch made in 1943...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Plywood
- Afra and Tobia Scarpa Mod. ‘925’ Easy Chair for Cassina, Italy, 1966By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Rotterdam, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa mod. '925’ easy chair for Cassina, Italy 1966. Beautiful example made out of nice dark warm colored walnut and ox blood red leather....Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa "121" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1965, Set of 8By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa "121" dining chairs for Cassina, black leather, Italy, 1965, set of eight. Iconic and charming, the model "121" by Afra & Tobia Scarpa shows once again the Scarp...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Walnut, Plywood
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa "925" Easy Chairs for Cassina, 1966, Set of 2By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa "925" easy chairs for Cassina, plywood and black leather, Italy, 1966, set of two. In 1966 Afra & Tobia Scarpa designed the "925" chair, realized in walnut and l...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Plywood
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa "925" Easy Chairs for Cassina, 1966, Set of 2By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa "925" easy chairs for Cassina, plywood and red leather, Italy, 1966, set of two. In 1966 Afra & Tobia Scarpa designed the "925" chair, realized in walnut and leather. The low chair is inspired by a sketch made in 1943...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Plywood