Afra & Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" Lounge Set for Cassina, Green Velvet, 1969

Design
1969

Manufacture
1960-1969

Location
Lonigo, IT

Afra & Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" easy chair and ottoman, green velvet, Italy, 1969.

Although technically designed in the 1960s, the "Soriana" model by the Italian duo Tobia and Afra Scarpa is firmly associated with the next decade, when its popularity peaked. "Soriana" is low and invites you to sink into its curves. The most notable feature of those lounge chairs and sofa, however, is the Minimalist structure in chromed steel. This external structure in steel rod keeps the cover taut using buttons at the seat, allowing it to curl at the points where it folds to descend along the sides and back. The metal parts, creating a T shape, embrace the seat and enclose the polyurethane filter like a vice. "Soriana" won the Compasso d'Oro prize in 1970.

Afra Bianchin (1937-2011) and Tobia Scarpa (1935) began their long collaboration in 1957. Starting from 1960, they collaborated with companies like Gavina, B&B Italia, and Cassina. Innovators and unconventional thinkers, they developed numerous projects discovering new ways of mixing different materials and shapes. Their pieces are exhibited in many museums worldwide, such as the MoMa in New York and the Musée du Louvre in Paris.

The easy chair can be reupholstered in any material.