Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Maxalto 'Artona' Dressing Table or Vanity
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This dressing table was designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa as part of the ‘Artona’ line, produced by Maxalto, the specialist division of B&B Italia, in the second half of the 1970s. The piece combines refined materials with a clear architectural structure, characteristic of the Scarpa duo’s approach to furniture design.
The body is executed in walnut and walnut burl, whose rich figuring gives the piece a warm and luxurious appearance. The front features four drawers finished in striking walnut burl veneer, while the surrounding structure in solid walnut is accentuated by the subtle dark lines typical of the Artona series, highlighting the precision of the joinery and craftsmanship. The oval top adds a soft, elegant contrast to the otherwise linear composition. A raised mirror element with a small integrated shelf completes the design, giving the piece both a sculptural presence and practical functionality.
The ‘Artona’ line was the first collection produced by Maxalto, established in 1975 as the high-end division of B&B Italia dedicated to artisanal furniture, primarily in wood. With this collection, the Scarpa duo offered a refined alternative to the widespread use of plastics that dominated much postwar furniture design, emphasizing instead the beauty and tactile quality of natural materials.
Afra (1937–2011) and Tobia (1935–) Scarpa are among the most influential Italian designers of the postwar period. Both studied architecture at the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia, where they met before marrying and beginning their professional collaboration in 1960. Over the following decades, they worked with renowned companies including Flos, Gavina, B&B Italia, and Knoll, creating designs celebrated for their careful balance of modernism, craftsmanship, and material sensitivity. Their work has received numerous awards, including the Compasso d’Oro, and is held in the collections of major institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Musée du Louvre, and the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum.
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Six decades, one working method
Tobia went on to work as a glass designer at the Venini glassworks in Murano, succeeding Massimo Vignelli and absorbing a hands-on understanding of materials; the couple opened their own design office in Montebelluna in 1960. His first project, the Pigreco chair, was shown at the Milan Triennale in 1959, developed for Franco Albini's university course.
Their collaboration ranged from the intimate to the industrial: the Bastiano sofa for Gavina (1961), the Coronado sofa for B&B Italia (1966), the Soriana armchair for Cassina (1968, Compasso d'Oro), an entire furniture collection in fine materials for Maxalto, and lighting for Flos including the Nuvola (1962), Seki-Han (1963) and Biagio (1968) lamps. In architecture, they designed Benetton's industrial and management complex in Castrette di Villorba and led the restoration of the Mercato Vecchio museums in Verona and the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice. The couple worked together until Afra's death in 2011; Tobia received a Compasso d'Oro for lifetime achievement in 2008 and continues to design and teach in Venice.
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