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.
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.
Afra and Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" Sofa in Leather, Italy, 1969
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Utrecht, NL
The iconic “Soriana” three-seater sofa was designed by the Italian designer duo, Afra and Tobia Scarpa in 1969. Besides its innovative manufacturing, visually, Soriana brings sophist...
Metal
Afra and Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" Sofa, Italy, 1969
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Utrecht, NL
“Soriana” three seat bouclé sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa from Italy, 1969. The Post-Modern sofa was manufactured by Cassina and features three front metal clamps. The Soriana collec...
Metal
"Soriana" Sofa in Green Velvet by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy 1969
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Cassina
Located in Utrecht, NL
The iconic “Soriana” three-seater sofa was designed by the Italian designer duo, Afra and Tobia Scarpa in 1969. Besides its innovative manufacturing, visually, Soriana brings sophist...
Metal
“Camaleonda” Modular Sofa in 3 Segments by Mario Bellini for B&B, Italy 1971
By Mario Bellini, B&B Italia
Located in Utrecht, NL
The “Camaleonda” (Italian word play combining the words ‘chameleon’ and ‘wave’) sofa is Mario Bellini’s contemporary classic. The playful, modular design offers endless options for the user, which also inspired the model’s name. Camaleonda has passed through 5 decades of design history as a true icon. The modules of the sofa defined the aesthetics of an entire era of interior design, thanks to its great success both in terms of the public and critics. It is constantly featured in most international design museums and in the film sets that have defined the collective imagination. The elements that have made this sofa a contemporary classic are the individual modules, their original cutting patterns and the polyurethane padding that forms the characteristic capitonné (a style of upholstery in which the material is drawn in at intervals) design. The seven generous segments of the “Camaleonda” was manufactured with the innovative system of cables, hooks and rings created by Bellini in 1970, which defines the characteristic look and modularity. The fundamental characteristic of Camaleonda is its unlimited modularity, a geometric pattern that allows each element to become an enormous pixel through which to define your home environment. The seven modules’ versatility and the attached tie-rods and rings make it possible to create custom forms. Furthermore, the modules can be unhooked and recombined at will, allowing the sofa to adapt to an evolving taste and needs. A concept which is dear to Mario Bellini: “Of all the objects I have designed, Camaleonda is perhaps the best in terms of its sense of freedom. There are infinite numbers of possible configurations.” Condition: In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. The three pieces have all been reupholstered recently in a premium bouclé fabric. Each of our items can be re-upholstered by our in-house atelier in a fabric of choice. Please reach out for more information. Dimensions: 98.42 in W x 37.40 in D x 27.55 in H; Seat height 13.77 in 250 cm W x 95 cm D x 70 cm H; Seat height 35 cm Literature: Domus n. 523, giugno 1973, pubblicità; G. Gramigna, Repertorio del design italiano 1950 - 1980, Milano 1985, p. 341. About the designer: Mario Bellini (born February 1, 1935, Milan) is an internationally renowned Italian architect and designer. He received the Golden Compass Award eight times and the Medaglia d’Oro, that was conferred on him by the President of the Italian Republic. The MoMA in New York already dedicated a personal retrospective exhibition to him in 1987. At the time the museum already included 25 of his works in its permanent collection, including a remarkable set of Olivetti machines as well as the furniture for B&B and Cassina. He graduated from the Milan Polytechnic - Faculty of Architecture in 1959 and began working as an architect himself in the early 1960s. Like many other Italian architects, his activities range from architecture and urban planning to product and furniture design. His career as a product and furniture designer began in 1963, and from 1963 to 1991 he was chief design consultant for Olivetti. For many years he designed furnishing products and systems for B&B Italia and Cassina, TV sets for Brionvega, and hi-fi systems, headphones and electric organs...
Metal
Suede and Steel Sofa by Jacques Charpentier (attr.), France 1970s
By Jacques Charpentier
Located in Utrecht, NL
In the 1970s, the power of television sparked a profound shift in households and a sofa became a "must-have". Sofas became the core of the "Les Contemporains...
Steel
"Monte Carlo" Sofa by Ingvar Stockum for Futura Möbler, Sweden 1960s
By Ingvar Stockum, Futura Möbler
Located in Utrecht, NL
This "Monte Carlo" sofa model was designed by Ingvar Stockum in the 1960s for Futura Möbler, but was only in production for two years before it was discontinued as a result of high p...
Leather, Wood
Soriana Sofa by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy, 1970s
By Cassina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Antwerp, BE
Three-seater Soriana sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, a rare and coveted piece of Italian design from the 1970s. Upholstered in sumptuous black leather, the sofa embodies t...
Leather
Soriana Two-Seater Sofa by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy, 1970s
By Cassina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Antwerp, BE
The Soriana two-seater sofas by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, a celebrated icon of 1970s Italian design. These pieces feature the signature plush, voluminous form cinched by a p...
Velvet
Soriana Sofa, by Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Cassina, Italy, 1970s
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Argelato, BO
Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Soriana Sofas, Cassina, Italy, 1970s. Afra (1937-2011) & Tobia (1935-) Scarpa both studied at the Venice Institute of Architecture. Their pieces are exhibited i...
Steel
Afra & Tobia Scarpa, A large sofa, "Soriana", Cassina, 1970s
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Cassina
Located in Paris, FR
Afra & Tobia Scarpa Soriana A brown velvet covered and metal framed sofa. Produced by Cassina. Cassina label underneath. Circa 1970. Italy. Liter...
Velvet
Iconinc Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Soriana Sofa for Cassina, Italy 1970's
By Cassina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Iconic and highly collectible Soriana sofa designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, one of the most celebrated examples of Italian modern design from the 1970s. Winner of the Com...
Fabric
Cassina Soriana Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Italy, 1970s
By Cassina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Antwerp, BE
Sofa; Afra; Tobia; Scarpa; Cassina; Soriana; Settee; Couch; Italy; 1970's; Hollywood Regency; Minimalist; Italian Design; Soriana sofa in original upholstery, designed by Afra &...
Wool
