De Sede DS-51 Chair in Cafe Upholstery by Antonella Scarpitta

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.

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A de Sede piece lends a strong personality to the room it occupies. One of the world’s most respected furniture design houses, de Sede’s quality Swiss craftsmanship has its foundation in a long history of making expertly designed saddles. Founded in 1965 to build on a successful family-run saddler’s workshop in Klingnau, Switzerland, de Sede now is a leading manufacturer of leather goods and furniture, including sofas, chairs and beds.

At the core of de Sede’s philosophy is a reverence for the complexity and beauty of handcrafted furniture in an age when mass-produced objects are the norm. Over the years, the atelier has built a name for itself in its modular furniture pieces, which are made using the highest quality leather upholstery. The sleek, elegant pieces incorporate functionality with beauty. Amongst their best-selling designs is the DS-600 introduced in 1972. Also known as the Non Stop sofa, it is a sensually curved, snaking modular sofa whose individual pieces can be zipped together to create multiple variations and arcs.

De Sede has collaborated with some of the world's finest design minds, enhancing the prestige and individuality of their products. Designers like Santiago Calatrava, Antonella Scarpitta, Stephan Hürlemann, Gordon Guillaumier and Philippe Malouin have all created pieces with the atelier. Ubald Klug’s 1974 DS-1025, also known as the Terrazza sofa, is an enduring favorite with its cascading levels of leather. In 2017, de Sede expanded its product line to include high-quality leather handbags, which are as thoughtfully designed and beautifully crafted as its furniture. De Sede AG is now part of the Volare Group AG and continues to handcraft its fine furniture and other goods from its factory in Klingnau.

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