B&B Italia Lauriana Black Leather Loveseat Sofa by Afra &Tobia Scarpa
View Similar Items
B&B Italia Lauriana Black Leather Loveseat Sofa by Afra &Tobia Scarpa
About the Item
- Creator:B&B Italia (Maker),Afra & Tobia Scarpa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33 in (83.82 cm)Width: 63 in (160.02 cm)Length: 33 in (83.82 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:West Hartford, CT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3072318061871
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.
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.
- Vitra Alcove High Back Sofa by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec 2008By Ronan and Erwan BouroullecLocated in West Hartford, CTDesign Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, 2008 Tubular steel, metal, MDF, polyurethane foam, upholstery Made in Germany by Vitra The central idea behind the Alcove sofa is that a sofa can be...Category
Early 2000s German Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal, Steel
- Vitra Coveted Alcove High Back Sofa by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec 2008By Ronan and Erwan BouroullecLocated in West Hartford, CTDesign Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, 2008 Tubular steel, metal, MDF, polyurethane foam, upholstery Made in Germany by Vitra The central idea behind the Alcove sofa is that a sofa can be...Category
Early 2000s German Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal, Steel
- Donghia Velvet Fabric Seafoam Hickory Furniture Curved Sofa 92"Located in West Hartford, CTElevate your living space with this stunning Hickory Furniture sofa recently reupholstered in a blue green seafoam velvet fabric from Donghia, radiating Mid-Century Modern vibes. T...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsTextile, Velvet, Wood
- Milo Baughman Mid Century Modern Red Tuxedo Floating SofaBy Milo BaughmanLocated in West Hartford, CTIconic mid century Milo Baughman tuxedo floating sofa upholstered in a vibrant Jack Lenor "Larsenesque" fabric by Boris Kroll and featuring the coveted...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Textile, Wood
- Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates Sofa Completely Refurbished Model 1636-SBy Adrian Pearsall, Craft AssociatesLocated in West Hartford, CTAuthentic Adrian Pearsall pieces are some of his most dramatic creations. They also need space normally, although this one will fit in your apartment as well with width of only 74". ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Textile, Wood, Walnut
- Adrian Pearsall Signed Craft Associates 2-PC Sectional Sofa 2069-LRBy Craft Associates, Adrian PearsallLocated in West Hartford, CTAdrian Pearsall two-piece sectional sofa by Craft Associates, circa 1960s, features a walnut wood frame which could use some conditioning. The sofa comes in two pieces with sea green...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Lauriana Sofa by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, 1978By B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Uppsala, SELauriana 2-seat sofa designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa in 1978 for Italian luxury manufacturer B&B Italia. Dark chocolate brown removable velvet upholstery with light brown piping. Mou...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa Velvet Lauriana SofaBy B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Dronten, NLLauriana 2-seater sofa designed in 1978 by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia. Eggplant removable velvet upholstery with camel leather piping. Mounted on a steel frame with plastic...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel
$3,650 / item - B&B ITALIA Afra & Tobia Scarpa Modell Coronado Leather SofaBy B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Munich, BavariaB&B Italia black leather sofa Modell Coronado designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa in the late 1960s. Big loose cushions. This small sofa is comfortable. The leather is in good conditio...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Vintage Leather Sofa by B&B Italia by Afra & Tobia Scarpa DesignersBy B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Ceglie Messapica, ITB&B Italia brown leather sofa Modell Coronado designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa in the late 1960s. The leather is in good condition with only beautiful sign of time on the leather. I...Category
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
$4,393 Sale Price20% Off - "Soriana" Sofa by Afra and Tobia ScarpaLocated in Los Angeles, CATwo seater "Soriana" sofa by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina. Rare edition in original cognac leather. Made in Italy circa 1969.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Rare Afra & Tobia Scarpa ELOGIO sofa for B&B ItaliaBy B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Houston, TXAfra & Tobia Scarpa Elogia modular sofa B & B Italia Italy, 1985 leather, wood, glides This model was in production for a short time and has not been made in over 30 years...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
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.
Vincent Van Duysen Imbues Minimalism with Warmth
The Antwerp-based designer lends his unique touch to homes, boutiques and offices in Belgium, the United States and Germany, as well as furniture for B&B Italia and Molteni.