Afra & Tobia Scarpa

Afra Bianchin (°Montebelluna, 1937) and Tobia Scarpa (°Venice, 1935) are Italian architects.

Both Afra and Tobia Scarpa earned degrees in architecture from the Università Iuav di Venezia in 1957. From 1957 to 1961 Tobia worked as a glass designer at the Murano glassworks of Venini, and then in 1960 the two artists opened their own design office in Montebelluna.

Afra and Tobia Scarpa are award winning postmodern Italian architects and designers. Their pieces can be found in museums across the United States and Europe, including collections in MoMA and the Louvre Museum. They have collaborated with companies such as B&B Italia, San Lorenzo Silver and Knoll International. They have won a number of awards such as the Compasso d’Oro in 1969 to the International Forum Design in 1992. Their design work consists of architecture and everyday household items including, furniture, clothing, interior design, art glass. They focused on the technical and aesthetic possibilities of materials in their designs. The couple was greatly influenced by Carlo Scarpa, a universally admired Venetian architect, designer, and Tobia’s Father.

Afra and Tobia Scarpa have received many awards for their work as designers such as the Compasso d’Oro in 1969 to the International Forum Design in 1992. Their furniture has been published in high-end magazine articles like L’ŒIL. From 2004 to 2007, the couple collaborated on many restoration projects for historical buildings such as the Palazzo della Ragione in Verona, Italy. Since 2002, Tobia has taught in the Design Department of the Università Iuav di Venezia in Venice, Italy.