Carlo Scarpa approached furniture with the eye of an architect, treating construction, material and detail as parts of one continuous design language. This highboard belongs to his Scuderia series for Bernini, a group of furniture in which Scarpa translated architectural ideas into finely made cabinet work. Bernini itself describes the collection as an expression of Scarpa’s belief that architecture, interiors and furniture belonged to the same design process, differing principally in scale.

Design

The tall cabinet is executed in natural walnut, a material specifically associated by Bernini with the Scuderia furniture. Its vertical composition is divided into upper and lower cupboards, separated by an open central compartment with a small shelf. Four doors provide generous storage, with further shelves arranged inside. This practical organisation gives the piece the character of both a highboard and an architectural storage element.

Running along either side are paired rounded uprights, their cylindrical profiles interrupted at the cabinet’s central division. These columns soften the otherwise rectilinear body and draw attention to the construction itself. Scarpa often allowed joints, transitions and changes in material to become part of a design’s visual vocabulary; his sensitivity to craft and material developed throughout his work in architecture, interiors and glass.

Small wooden cylindrical handles continue the restrained geometry, set against dark metal fittings that punctuate the doors. Inside the open compartment, the burned-in Bernini emblem identifies the manufacturer. The Scuderia series was conceived with particular attention to cabinetmaking, including worked solid timber and construction details developed in relation to their function.

Tall yet relatively restrained in footprint, this Scuderia highboard combines substantial storage with Scarpa’s characteristic attention to proportion and junction. It works equally well as a functional cabinet in a living or dining room or as a freestanding example of post-war Italian furniture design.

Condition
The highboard remains in very good vintage condition, with light traces of use and age visible across the timber and fittings. Minor variations in colour and patina are present and remain consistent with the age and use of the piece.