Monk Armchair

Overview

Monk is, in Molteni&C's words a "history-making 1973 design by Afra and Tobia Scarpa", brought back as a 2025 re-edition within the Heritage Collection. It exists as a chair for the dining area and as the lower, wider armchair described here, which the page places in the living room or bedroom.

Image source: Molteni&C — Monk Armchair · © Molteni&C and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy

Construction

The page describes a solid American walnut frame with the seat and backrest in leather, fitted taut over two steel tubes. Cross panels with exposed joints join the wooden legs, which the page compares to narrow pillars, and eight burnished steel rivets secure the seat to the frame.

Specifications

• MPL1 armchair: 66.5 cm wide and 53.5 cm deep; the drawing's tallest vertical value is 70.9 cm, which is not labelled on the drawing
• Base finishes: coffee oak, black oak, American walnut

A 1973 design, re-edited in 2025

The page presents Monk as a 1973 design by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Molteni&C that reemerges in an exclusive re-edition, and the datasheet heading reads 1973 / 2025. Its name, the page says, reflects the almost monastic simplicity of the style, and that it begins with an M, the letter the pair were in the habit of starting their Molteni&C designs with.

From one piece to two frames

The page quotes Tobia Scarpa on how the structure was reached: the designers imagined a single piece because it was cheaper, but Angelo Molteni answered that "we do things properly", and the result was an iron structure stretched between two identical frames, which made the seat what it is.