The curved backrest, generous yet restrained, and the true protagonist of the piece, is crafted from a single piece of wood, then split and finished into two mirrored parts. The result of delicate manual processes of roughing and smoothing, it reveals subtle layers of different woods that create striking tonal effects through refined black marquetry. The backrest and rear legs meet only at the base, creating a wide open space that lends the structure a gentle flexibility while evoking a totemic image.

The frame, in solid Canaletto walnut with a slender rectangular profile, showcases the full expressive potential of the veneer through subtle variations in thickness. It supports a gracefully curved seat, upholstered in either leather or fabric.

In its ongoing mission to recover essential pieces from the modern canon, Tacchini brings this chair back to life—sober and beautiful, and embodying the purest values of Italian design in the second half of the 20th century: proportion, noble materials, and an intimate understanding of dwelling.

This re-edition is not merely an homage to a seminal designer; it is a declaration of intent. In a time defined by acceleration, the Africa Chair reminds us of the enduring beauty of the essential. Faithfully reproduced in stained ash wood and upholsteries that echo the original 1970s spirit, this is not a piece that has aged—it has matured.

In contemporary interiors, the Africa Chair reappears not as a relic, but as a gentle presence. It belongs in a living room, a studio, an intimate dining area. It adapts effortlessly, as if it had always been there.

Tobia Scarpa

Tobia Scarpa, son of the renowned architect Carlo Scarpa, was born in Venice in 1935. He studied architecture at the IUAV in Venice, where he met Afra Bianchin—his lifelong partner in both life and profession. The couple graduated in 1957 and married shortly after, embarking on a brilliant creative partnership. Following a brief period working for the Murano-based glassmakers Venini, Tobia and Afra opened their own studio in Montebelluna, nestled in the Veneto countryside where Afra had grown up.

Their first design piece, the Pigreco chair, was created in 1959 during a university course in Interior and Decorative Design led by Franco Albini. Conceived for Gavina—later acquired by Knoll—Pigreco was a daring departure from convention. Its two rear legs converge so closely they form a single structural point, remaining faithful to the triangular geometry that inspired Scarpa’s original concept. The piece, now reissued in a limited edition by Tacchini, was the first in a long series of designs that would cement their place in design history.

Their armchair 925, designed for Cassina in 1966, is held in the permanent collection of MoMA in New York, while the Libertà chair for Meritalia is part of the Contemporary Art collection at the Louvre. Their most iconic creation, the Soriana lounge chair—also for Cassina—was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1970. Between 1962 and 1975, the couple designed several lighting pieces for Flos, including Fantasma, Foglio, Biagio, Pierrot, Ariette and Papillona. Their Coronado sofa, designed in 1966 for B&B Italia, remains to this day a timeless symbol of relaxation.

Although better known for his work in design, Tobia Scarpa has also developed notable architectural projects. In addition to single-family homes and residential buildings, he and Afra oversaw the design and construction of industrial facilities, including Benetton’s first factory and numerous retail stores for the brand around the world. In 2008, Scarpa was awarded the Compasso d’Oro for lifetime achievement.

Source: Tachini.

Solar fuses sculptural forms and softness, offering a fresh interpretation of Tacchini’s iconic upholstery. The fabric is intentionally crinkled, giving the seat a soft, supple feel.

Faye Toogood

Faye Toogood grew up in the fields of the English countryside. From an early age she would go out into the woods in her wellies and collect sticks, stones and broken bones and place them on the mantelpiece in her bedroom. At the age of twenty, she turned up at Vogue House with a leather suitcase full of found objects and got a job as a stylist at The World of Interiors.

Faye has since become one of the most recognised figures in the design and art industry, and her work is in museum collections around the world, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne and the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg.

His magpie instinct and obsession with landscape continue to permeate everything he designs, whether it’s a bronze doorknob moulded from an abandoned skull, a fashion collection inspired by hay bales or a house interior with the melancholic palette of an English sky.

Faye Toogood’s work encompasses interior design, homeware, art and fashion, and she refuses to stick to a single discipline or a defined way of working.

Her London studio is full of non-conformist talents like herself – architects, sculptors, furniture designers and illustrators intersect in each project, producing work that is rigorous, poetic and genuinely avant-garde. Among them is her sister, Erica Toogood. Erica has inherited the deft hands of her grandmother, a tailor who made parachute underwear during the Second World War. Before joining forces with Faye, she worked with several London fashion designers as a pattern cutter and created costumes for theatrical productions. Toogood’s clothes are imbued with the unmistakable spirit of both sisters: Faye’s concern for materiality and Erica’s bold shape-making. One bold and playful, the other sartorial.