Monk Leather chair

Monk is a chair with a solid wood frame and leather upholstery, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa.

Modularity and configurations

Afra and Tobia Scarpa designed the Monk chair in 1973, carefully crafting its shape and finishes to highlight the qualities of its materials. The seat and backrest, made of stretched leather, rest on two tubular steel sections to create an extremely comfortable chair. The solid wood legs are joined in pairs using a visible interlocking system, showcasing the crosspiece joints and creating its iconic silhouette.

Design and craftsmanship

In Scarpa's vision, Monk is a seat made of a few well-crafted pieces, combined to create a solid, high-quality product. The name Monk evokes the chair's simple, clean, almost monastic style and refers to the initial "M" that characterizes Afra and Tobia Scarpa's designs for Molteni&C.

Monk's structure became a model for subsequent Molteni&C products by Scarpa, and the iconic seat returned with slimmer legs in the Mastro chair of 1981.

In 2025, Molteni&C is reissuing the iconic Monk chair while preserving its original character. Monk features a solid wood frame like the original version (available in American walnut, black oak, or coffee oak finishes), consisting of two identical solid wood trestles attached to shaped metal tubing that forms a single element for the seat and backrest.

The two structural parts are joined by two pairs of screws for each trestle, with a decorative touch provided by large burnished steel hubs. The seat structure is made of two shaped leather parts to ensure a comfortable seating experience and is available in all colors of the Molteni&C collection.

Monk is also offered in an armchair version, lower and wider, designed to enhance any living space.