Pianura Armchair in Black Leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1970s
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Manufacturer),Mario Bellini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.99 in (66 cm)Width: 40.95 in (104 cm)Depth: 37.8 in (96 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Comments - Light wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Ixelles, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7251239431662
Mario Bellini
Milan-born architect and designer Mario Bellini just may be the closest thing to a modern-day Renaissance man: His creative output spans genres, from electronics to furniture to architecture to cars, comprising iconic designs in each. He has been the recipient of multiple prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards, and more than 20 of his works are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Born in 1935, Bellini studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan before founding his own firm in his native city in the early 1960s. He soon branched out beyond architecture, however, first for the tech manufacturer Olivetti, where he served as chief industrial design consultant from 1963 to 1991. During that time, Bellini oversaw the design of some of Olivetti’s most popular typewriters.
His penchant for electronic design didn’t stop there: Bellini also designed cameras for Fuji, televisions for Brionvega and a slew of audio devices for Yamaha, then served as design consultant for Renault and devised the interior of the 1980 Lancia Trevi for Fiat. Meanwhile, his architecture work spans continents, including such modern gems as the Museum of Islamic Arts at the Louvre, the National Gallery of Victoria extension in Melbourne, the Dubai Creek Complex and the Milan Convention Centre in his hometown.
And then there’s the furniture: Over the last 70 years, Bellini has designed office furniture for Vitra; lamps for Artemide, Erco and FLOS; porcelain for Rosenthal and long-admired sofas and other seating for Kartell, Natuzzi, B&B Italia, Cassina and more.
His oft-imitated 1977 Cab chair for Cassina, comprising 16 individual pieces of saddle leather that create a “skin” over a minimal metal frame, remains one of the manufacturer’s best sellers today. His pudgy-legged, round tables for Cassina foreshadow Faye Toogood’s widely loved Roly Poly line. His postmodern Summa armchairs for Kartell, as well as his elegant Chiara floor lamp, still lure collectors on vintage furniture websites.
Bellini’s most famous contribution to furniture design, though, may be his 1970 Camaleonda sofa for B&B Italia (then C&B Italia). An entrant to the 1972 MoMA show “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape,” the seat takes its name from the Italian words for chameleon and wave. Its bulbous, modular form makes it infinitely flexible. The sofa was a runaway hit at the show and, once discontinued, remained so popular among vintage dealers that B&B Italia reissued it in 2020 with all recycled materials and interchangeable seat covers. “Of all the objects I have designed, Camaleonda is perhaps the best in terms of its sense of freedom,” Bellini said.
Browse an expansive collection of Mario Bellini furniture — including dining tables, armchairs, mid-century sofas and more — today on 1stDibs.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Forest, Belgium
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Pianura Armchair in Black Leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, CasinaLocated in Ixelles, BruxellesPianura Armchair in Black Leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1970s Designer - Mario Bellini Producer - Cassina Model - Pianura Armchairs Design Period - Seventies Measurements - W...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Pianura Coffee Table by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1970sBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Ixelles, BruxellesDesigner - Mario Bellini Producer - Cassina Model - Pianura Coffee Table Design Period - Seventies Measurements - Width 80 cm x Depth 80 cm x Height 11 cm Materials - Wood Color - B...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Gli Scacchi Coffee Tables by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1970sBy C&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Ixelles, BruxellesDesigner - Mario Bellini Producer - B&B Italia Model - Gli Scacchi coffee tables Design Period - Seventies Measurements - Width 90 cm x Depth 31 cm x Height 37 cm Materials - Polyur...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsPlastic
- Pair of 54 L Armchairs by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International, 1970sBy Knoll, Gae AulentiLocated in Ixelles, BruxellesDesigner - Gae Aulenti Producer - Knoll Model - 54 L Armchairs Design Period - Seventies Measurements - Width 70 cm x Depth 61 cm x Height 77 cm x Seat Height 35 cm Materials - Leat...Category
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of Nesting Tables by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, 1970sBy Gianfranco Frattini, CassinaLocated in Ixelles, BruxellesSet of Nesting Tables by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, 1970s Designer - Gianfranco Frattini Producer - Cassina Model - Nesting Tables Design Period - Seventies Measurements - Wid...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
MaterialsSmoked Glass, Wood
- Quinta Chair by Mario Botta for Alias, 1980sBy Mario Botta, AliasLocated in Ixelles, BruxellesDesigner - Mario Botta Producer - Alias Model - Quinta Chair Design Period - Eighties Measurements - Width 43 cm x Depth 55 cm x Height 94 cm x Seat Height 43 cm Materials - Metal Co...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1970s Italian Cab Armchair by Mario Bellini for Cassina in Black LeatherBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn Italian Mid-Century Modern armchair designed by Mario Bellini featuring handstitched black leather upholstery wrapped over internal steel frame. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy, ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Mario Bellini "Tentazione" Set of 2 Leather Lounge Armchairs for Cassina, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in The Hague, NLPair of two lounge or armchairs designed by Mario Bellini for Cassina manufacture in 1970s period, Italy. Model No: 684, Crème color leather original upholstery, steel frame constr...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Armchair in Patinated Leather by Mario Bellini, 1970sBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Lejre, DKGreat looking armchair in leather. Designed Mario Bellini and made by Cassina. Great original condition.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Pair of Vintage 1970s Armchairs, Design by Mario Bellini for Cassina ProductionBy Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Milan, ITPair of vintage 1970s armchairs, Italian manufacture, design by Mario Bellini, Cassina production. The armchair has an orange leather upholster...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Cab 414 Armchairs by Mario Bellini for CassinaBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Renens, CHTwo Cab 414 armchairs in cognac leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina. These very comfortable lounge chairs are built up with a tubular steel frame o...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1980s Mario Bellini ''401 Break'' Leather Armchairs for CassinaBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Madrid, ES“401 Break” leather armchairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina. Rigid metallic structure covered in cognac leather. Italy, 1980s. This design is included in the ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Who Is Mario Bellini, and Why Is His 1970s Camaleonda Sofa Everywhere Right Now?
Get the lowdown on the ultrachic modular sofas that are currently taking up real estate in your Instagram saved folder.
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.