Afra & Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" Ottoman by Cassina
View Similar Items
Afra & Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" Ottoman by Cassina
About the Item
- Creator:Afra & Tobia Scarpa (Designer),Cassina (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Good original condition with one small hole in the leather.
- Seller Location:Highland, IN
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU909126711212
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.
- Karl Springer Style Souffle PoufBy Karl SpringerLocated in Highland, INAn iconic design of Karl Springer's, the souffle pouf saw many interations by different makers. This example is unmarked, but of very good quality with a ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Hollywood Regency Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsSteel
- Davis Allen Square Chair and Ottoman by McGuireBy Davis Allen, McGuireLocated in Highland, INThis strikingly handsome Davis Allen design for McGuire of San Fransisco is the model RW-12A "Square Chair" and RW-51P ottoman. It is a cube chair executed in rattan and cane wicker ...Category
20th Century American Hollywood Regency Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Cane, Rattan
$4,000 Sale Price20% Off - Pierre Paulin Ribbon Chair Ottoman by ArtifortBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Highland, INThis Pierre Paulin ottoman is waiting to be paired with a ribbon chair to make a set. It retains its original red fabric and silver paint on the base, but both show wear from age and...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Aage Christiansen Lounge and Ottoman by Erhardsen & AndersenBy Erhardsen & Andersen, Aage ChristiansenLocated in Highland, INThis supremely comfortable lounge chair features swivel function and two positions of locking recline. Designed by Aage Christiansen for Erhardsen & Andersen Denmark, it retains its ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Edward Wormley Model 5701 Lounge Chair & OttomanBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Highland, INThis spectacular design by Ed Wormley from his Janus collection for Dunbar, the model 5701 lounge chair and ottoman is a generous chair with a relaxing, deep seat and sumptuous cushi...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMahogany, Upholstery
$10,000 / set - Pair of Flexform "Mozart" Lounge Chairs & Ottomans/ TablesBy FlexformLocated in Highland, INThis 1996 design from Italy's Flexform, the "Mozart" chair strikes a nice balance between a formal and casual lounge chair. It has a metal internal...Category
Early 2000s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsCane, Walnut
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Soriana Ottoman, Cassina, 1970sBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Paris, FRAfra & Tobia Scarpa Soriana A very beautiful ottoman of square shape with rounded corners. Covered with its original brown velvet in very good condition. On four castor feet....Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsVelvet
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa, a Soriana Ottoman, Cassina, 1970sBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Paris, FRAfra & Tobia Scarpa Soriana A very beautiful ottoman of square shape with rounded corners. Covered with its original brown velvet in very good condition. On four castor feet....Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsVelvet
- 1970s Cassina Soriana Ottoman by Afra and Tobia ScarpaBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Miami, FLVintage Soriana ottoman designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina in 1969. This iconic ottoman has been beautifully upholstered in a luxurious sage ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsSteel
- Soriana Ottoman by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy, 1970sBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Renens, CHSoriana pouf or ottoman by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina. Original 1970s cognac leather. The pouf can be easily moved around since it has castors atta...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsMetal
$2,952 Sale Price30% Off - Afra and Tobia Scarpa Soriana Leather Ottoman for CassinaBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Chicago, ILAfra and Toba Scarpa Soriana Cassina Pouf or Ottoman c1970s; Modern; Italian Original black leather in excellent condition. The ottoman can be easily moved around since it has cast...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsLeather
- Soriana Pouf in Original Tan Leather by Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy, 1970By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Pijnacker, Zuid-HollandSoriana pouf in original tan leather by Tobia Scarpa for Cassina – Italy, circa 1970. Original leather in good condition with signs of use and patina. ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsChrome
$3,462 Sale Price20% Off
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.