Afra & Tobia Scarpa 'Soriana' Lounge Chair and Ottoman
View Similar Items
Afra & Tobia Scarpa 'Soriana' Lounge Chair and Ottoman
About the Item
- Creator:Afra & Tobia Scarpa (Designer),Cassina (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.99 in (66 cm)Width: 35.44 in (90 cm)Depth: 41.34 in (105 cm)Seat Height: 15.36 in (39 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Please note when an item is listed excellent, minor traces of age and use could be visible on the object.
- Seller Location:Waalwijk, NL
- Reference Number:Seller: item 50191stDibs: LU93315668013
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.
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 '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 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 for Meritalia Lounge Chair and OttomanBy Meritalia, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra and Tobia Scarpa for Meritalia, 'Gitana' lounge chair and ottoman, fabric, metal, Italy, 1993 Lovely cloud-like lounge cha...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 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 Pair of 'Ciprea' Lounge ChairsBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, pair of 'Ciprea' easy chairs, fabric, Italy, 1968 This design is made possible by the creative and innovative thinking of the Italian designer duo ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa Pair of 'Artona' Lounge Chairs in AshBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, MaxaltoLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Maxalto, pair of 'Artona' lounge chairs, ash, checkered fabric, Italy, 1975/1979 Pair of cubic ‘Artona’ lounge chairs by Italian designer couple Afra and Tob...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Ash
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa 'Soriana' Chaise Lounge Chair with Ottoman in Red CorduroyBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Berlin, DEAfra & Tobia Scarpa 'Soriana' chaise lounge chair with ottoman in red corduroy Iconic chaise lounge by Italian designer couple Afra &...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsMetal
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa 'Soriana' Chaise Lounge Chair in grey leatherBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Berlin, DEAfra & Tobia Scarpa 'Soriana' Chaise Lounge Chair in grey leather Iconic chaise lounge by Italian designer couple Afra & Tobia Scarpa designed in 1969 and produced by Cassina. The S...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsMetal
$7,395 Sale Price25% Off - Soriana Lounge Chairs + Ottoman by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy, 1969By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Pambio Noranco, CHRare Soriana chaise longue by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy, 1969 It's reupholstered in a beautiful plum textured fabric. The original foam is in very good condition and s...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsFabric
$9,203 Sale Price20% Off - Soriana Lounge Chairs + Ottoman by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy, 1969By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Pambio Noranco, CHRare soriana chaise longue with pouff by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy, 1969 It's reupholstered in a beautiful plum leather. The original foam is in very good condition an...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsFabric
$9,203 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage Italian "Soriana" Chaise Lounge and Ottoman by Afra and Tobia ScarpaBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Brooklyn, NYIconic Italian Modernist chaise lounge and ottoman designed in 1969 by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina as part of the "Soriana" series, which won the “Compasso d’Oro” prize in 1970...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Afra and Tobia Scarpa Soriana lounge chair and ottoman for CassinaBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Houston, TXAfra and Tobia Scarpa Soriana lounge chair and ottoman Cassina Italy, 1970s leather, chrome-plated steel, plastic chair: 26 h × 36 w × 52 d in ottoman: 15 h × 31 w × 36 d in Match...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBouclé