Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
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.
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Plastic, Wood, Beech, Birch, Walnut, Burl
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Brass
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Elm, Leather, Walnut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Walnut
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Brass
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Steel
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Ash
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Brass
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1980s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Cherry
1970s Italian Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Leather, Ebony, Walnut
1980s Italian Other Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Walnut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Marble
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Rosewood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Concrete, Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Glass, Smoked Glass, Wood, Walnut
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Steel, Chrome
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Beech, Birch, Fruitwood, Maple, Oak
1960s Italian Space Age Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Walnut
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Chrome
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Copper
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Crystal
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Smoked Glass, Walnut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Ebony, Rosewood
1960s Italian Space Age Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Walnut
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Smoked Glass, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Travertine
1960s Italian Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Walnut
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Metal
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Walnut
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Glass, Smoked Glass, Wood, Walnut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Concrete
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Smoked Glass, Mahogany
1970s Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Rosewood, Walnut, Burl
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Walnut
1970s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Smoked Glass, Wood
1960s Italian Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Leather, Wood, Zebra Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Laminate
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa Tables
Brass