There is a particular kind of confidence in furniture that doesn’t demand attention. Designed in 1973 by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, the Monk chair embodies a calm, considered approach to design — one where material, structure and craft are allowed to speak for themselves. In 2025, Molteni&C brings this understated icon back as part of its Heritage Collection, reminding a new generation why quiet design often has the longest life.
Originally conceived for a family country house, Monk was imagined as a single, economical piece before craftsmanship took centre stage. As Scarpa recalls, “We imagined it as a single piece because it was cheaper. But Angelo Molteni changed the design. ‘No, no,’ he said, ‘we do things properly.’ So, we came up with an iron structure stretched between two identical frames, which made the seat what it is.”
That insistence on doing things properly is evident in every detail. Leather is stretched over tubular steel to form the seat and backrest, resulting in surprising comfort. Solid wood legs — interlocked two-by-two — openly reveal the meeting of crosspieces, celebrating structure rather than concealing it. For the Scarpas, Monk was never about embellishment, but about precision and integrity.
The name itself reflects this philosophy. Evoking simplicity, restraint and an almost monastic clarity, Monk also nods to the letter M — a recurring signature in the designers’ work for Molteni&C. Its structural logic would go on to influence later designs, including the Mastro chair of 1981, proving Scarpa’s belief that repetition, when thoughtful, can still allow for variety. As he noted, “I also think that repetition can be a good (and right) thing as long as it doesn’t inhibit the extraordinary variety of forms, materials, colors, and events that life offers us, and that art should at least recognize.”
For Molteni&C, revisiting Monk is not an exercise in nostalgia, but in continuity. “I realize that our culture, which museums everything – perhaps without even realizing it – uses things from the past as if they were dead, but in reality, it is precisely in these things that life has sedimented and continues to sediment, continuing to live,” Scarpa reflected. “We must allow what the past gifts us to continue expressing itself, to continue living.”
The 2025 re-edition remains faithful to the original while offering refined finishes for contemporary interiors. The solid wood frame is available in American walnut, black oak or coffee oak, paired with shaped metal tubing that forms a single structural element for seat and back. Burnished steel hubs provide a subtle decorative note, while the leather seat comes in any colour from the Molteni&C collection.
Monk is also reintroduced as a lower, wider armchair — a version that feels particularly at home in relaxed living spaces, where comfort and character matter in equal measure. For Carlo Molteni, the design still carries personal meaning: “The Monk was first designed for the family country house, in a beautiful grass green, country style version, and it is still intact and very beautiful. When I think about it, the first memories that come to mind are linked to this house, which still holds an important place in my heart.”
In an age of fast design and fleeting trends, Monk stands as a reminder that the most enduring pieces are those grounded in honesty, technique and respect for material — qualities that feel especially relevant in South African homes where authenticity and longevity are increasingly prized.
Credits
Images: Supplied
