"Bambole" three-seater buffalo leather sofa by Mario Bellini, Ed. BB Italia 1970
View Similar Items
"Bambole" three-seater buffalo leather sofa by Mario Bellini, Ed. BB Italia 1970
About the Item
- Creator:Mario Bellini (Designer),B&B Italia (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.14 in (74 cm)Width: 90.56 in (230 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1972
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:Renens, CH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5599237962572
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. Vintage Mario Bellini sofas, dining chairs and other seating pieces are widely coveted, and the designer has been the recipient of multiple prestigious Compasso d’Oro awards. 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 vintage Mario Bellini furniture — including dining tables, armchairs, mid-century sofas and more — today on 1stDibs.
B&B Italia
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. From the outset, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. In the early 1970s, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
For decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain iconic today — be they Gaetano Pesce’s outwardly curvaceous Up seating (made for C&B, reintroduced by B&B) or tables from industrial designer Paolo Piva, each more sophisticated than the next in their geometrically complex steel-tube bases. B&B Italia earned four prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards: in 1979 for Mario Bellini’s Le Bambole, in 1984 for the Sisamo wardrobe system by Studio Kairos, in 1987 for Antonio Citterio’s modular Sity sofa and, in 1989, the first award given to a manufacturing company itself.
Other notable names who designed for B&B Italia over the course of its 54-year history include Patricia Urquiola, Naoto Fukasawa, Zaha Hadid, Ettore Sottsass and Vincent Van Duysen, to name a very few. And while these names bring star power to the B&B brand, in many cases, it was B&B Italia who helped usher in their celebrity, fostering a wave of design talent on the world stage.
The company’s forward-thinking vision manifested in its own headquarters, too: In 1972, B&B Italia tapped architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers to design a steel-framed, postmodern-style home for the brand, whose crisscrossing metal exoskeleton is reminiscent of the pair’s Centre Pompidou in Paris, which was built at roughly the same time. Now, B&B Italia manages a contract division and outdoor section as well as its residential arm, and it also controls production for Maxalto, a brand spun out with furniture designs by Antonio Citterio.
At 1stDibs, find a range of vintage B&B Italia furniture — including sofas, cocktail tables and more.
- Bambole Sofas by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1980sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Renens, CHIconic set of two seater sofas by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, originating from the 1980s. We have selected Musco, a dark blue mohair from De Ploeg, the Netherlands: Mohair has ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
$9,496 / item - Italian Design Marzio Cecchi Three-seater Sofa in Brown Buffalo Leather, 1970sBy Marzio CecchiLocated in Renens, CHAn exceptional three seater sofa, executed in thick and very heavy buffalo hide; the aged leather shows a wonderful deep dark-brown patina, it remains in excellent condition, with so...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Three seater "Stringa" leather sofa by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova Italy 1962By Gae Aulenti, PoltronovaLocated in Renens, CHThree seater "Stringa" leather sofa by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova Italy 1962 The Stringa three-seater leather sofa, designed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova in Italy in 1962, stands a...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Three Seater Pierre Cardin Modular Sofa in black lacquer and silk, France 1970sBy Pierre CardinLocated in Renens, CHPierre Cardin, a trailblazing fashion designer known for his innovative and unconventional approach, extended his creative vision into the realm of furniture design. Pierre Cardin's ...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Completely Restored Florence Knoll 25 BC Three-Seat Sofa by Wohnbedarf, 1950sBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Renens, CHThree-seat sofa designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll International, and produced under license by Wohnbedarf AG, in the early 1950s. The sofa still has the original Wohnbedarf metal shield on the underside, which is in many cases lost after almost 70 years of age. The “25 BC...Category
Vintage 1950s European Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool
- Danish Design Classsic GE 290 Three Seater Sofa by Hans Wegner for GETAMA, 1960sBy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Renens, CHOne of the most recognized designs by Hans Wegner and probably the whole danish mid-century modern period is the GE 290 sofa and arm chair produced by Getama....Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool, Oak
$4,372 Sale Price20% Off
- 1970s Mario Bellini Le Bambole Two-Seat Sofa, B&B ItaliaBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Raleigh, NC1970s Mario Bellini Le Bambole Sofa, B&B Italia An icon newly restored. Features Pollack Textiles "Modern Dance" Upholstery(black on light khaki). 66" long, 36" deep, 29" high, 1...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery
$12,500 / item - Mario Bellini Bambole 2 Seat Sofa B&B Italia, Italy, 1973By Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantHighly cosy so called 'Bambole' 2-seater sofa designed by Mario Bellini and manufactured by B&B Italia, Italy 1973. This sofa was designed in 1973 and turned quickly to one of B&B It...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Mario Bellini Le Bambole Two Seat Sofa, B&B ItaliaBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Raleigh, NC1970s Mario Bellini Le Bambole Sofa, Newly Upholstered in Mohair, B&B Italia An icon newly restored. Lush dusty green mohair over original form. 66" long, 36" deep, 29" high, 18...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery
- Mario Bellini, Le Bambole, Sofa, B&B Italia, 1970sBy B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Milano, LombardiaIntroducing the Le Bambole sofa by renowned designer Mario Bellini, upholstered in luxurious bouclé fabric, an exquisite addition to elevate any interior space. With its sleek lines ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Sofas
MaterialsBouclé
- Le Bambole Settee / 2-Seat Sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, Italy, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Berlin, DE'Le Bambole' 2-seat sofa, designed in 1970s by Mario Bellini and manufactured by B&B Italia in Italy. Newly upholstered in brown leather.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsLeather
- 1970s Mario Bellini Le Bambole Two-Seat Sofas, a Pair From B&B ItaliaBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Raleigh, NCPair of 1970s Mario Bellini Le Bambole Sofas, B&B Italia An icon newly restored. This pair feature Pollack Textiles "Modern Dance" Upholstery(black on light khaki). 66" long, 36" ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery
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.
Rooms We Love: 11 Splendid Living Rooms
Common wisdom used to declare the kitchen the hub of the house. These days, the living room seems to have assumed the role of domestic focal point. Unlike the Victorian parlor, stiffly furnished and reserved for guests, today’s living room is a central place for reading, conversation and, well, living, with furnishings that lend themselves to both casual lounging and elegant entertaining.