Afra & Tobia Scarpa 920 Armchair for Cassina in Cognac Leather

The “920” armchair was designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in the mid-1960s (c. 1966) for Figli di Amedeo Cassina in Meda, in the same design season as their “Bastiano” system. Conceived as the single-seat element of a modular series — the same unit that, bolted in sequence, forms the 920 sofas — it condenses the Scarpas’ rationalist approach into a compact cubic volume: construction shown rather than hidden, with the frame doing the expressive work.

This example is upholstered in cognac leather with visible saddle stitching, framed by exposed solid ash edging that runs along the base and rises to cap the armrests — a lighter alternative to the more common walnut version. The seat rests on elastic webbing stretched over a grey lacquered frame, with loose polyurethane-filled cushions and the model’s characteristic grey block feet. The seat cushion retains its original Cassina label (“B/5”, Made in Italy), an uncommon survival that documents authenticity.