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.
Leather Ottoman Coronado by Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, Italy
By B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Argelato, BO
This Coronado ottoman was designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in the 1960s and produced by B&B Italy. The ottoman is upholstered with pink soft leather. The leather is in original co...
Leather, Wood
$3,222Sale Price|20% Off
H 27.56 in W 85.04 in D 33.86 in
Tobia Scarpa "Coronado" Black Leather Sofa for B&B, Italy 1970 ca.
By B&B Italia, Tobia Scarpa
Located in Sacile, PN
Coronado sofa designed by Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia. The project is dated 1966. Black leather, great condition.
Iron
$4,738
H 29.53 in W 82.68 in D 33.86 in
Leather 3-seater sofa Coronado by Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, Italy ca. 1960
By B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Meulebeke, BE
Italy / 1960 / 3-seater sofa / Coronado / Tobia Scarpa / B&B Italia / leather / mid-century / vintage / Italian design This extremely comfortable Coronado three-seater sofa was des...
Leather
$1,650
H 27.56 in W 40.56 in D 35.83 in
Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia 'Coronado' Lounge Chair in Cognac Leather
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, 'Coronado' lounge chair, cognac leather, Italy, 1966 The 'Coronado' lounge chair is designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B talia. The seat has a...
Leather
Lauriana Chairs by Afra + Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia
By B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1970s. Price is for the set. Contact us if you’d like to purchase a single item. Rare original leather lauriana chairs, made in Italy.
Leather
$2,369
H 35.44 in W 38.19 in D 33.08 in
Brown leather armchair Coronado by Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, Italy ca. 1960
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B Italia
Located in Meulebeke, BE
Italy / 1960 / armchair / Coronado / Tobia Scarpa / B&B Italia / leather / mid-century / vintage / Italian design This extremely comfortable Coronado armchair was designed by Afra ...
Leather
B&B ITALIA Afra & Tobia Scarpa Modell Coronado Leather Sofa
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B Italia
Located in Munich, Bavaria
B&B Italia black leather sofa Modell Coronado designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa in the late 1960s. Big loose cushions. This small sofa is comfortable. The leather is in good conditio...
Leather
Afra & Tobia Scarpa 'Coronado' Loveseat for B&B Italia, 1966
By B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Original 'Coronado' loveseat in butterscotch leather, designed in 1966 by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia. A celebrated design from the golden era of Italian Mid-Century - offerin...
Leather
Coronado Sofa by Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia
By B&B Italia, Tobia Scarpa
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1970s. Made in Italy. Full leather construction. Coronado Loveseat and ottoman also available.
Leather
$4,167
H 29.53 in W 59.85 in D 33.86 in
Leather 2-seater sofa Coronado by Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, Italy ca. 1960
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B Italia
Located in Meulebeke, BE
Italy / 1960 / 2-seater sofa / Coronado / Tobia Scarpa / B&B Italia / leather / mid-century / vintage / Italian design This extremely comfortable Coronado two-seater sofa was desig...
Leather
$7,107 / set
H 29.14 in W 39.38 in D 31.5 in
1970 Vintage Coronado Brown Leather Armchairs by Tobia Scarpa for C&B Italia
By Tobia Scarpa, C&B Italia
Located in Ceglie Messapica, IT
1970 Vintage Coronado Brown Leather Armchairs by Tobia Scarpa for C&B Italia Outstanding pair of “Coronado” armchairs, an iconic design by Tobia Scarpa for C&B Italia (Cassi...
Leather, Foam
$5,850
H 30 in W 60 in D 36.25 in
Coronado Sofa in Black Leather by Tobia & Afra Scarpa for B&B Italia
By B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in New York, NY
Coronado two-seater sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, 1960s. Sofa in original black leather and fabric tag underneath cushions.
Leather
Tobia Scarpa Coronado Leather Sofa for B&B Italia, 1975
By Tobia Scarpa, B&B Italia
Located in New York, NY
'Coronado' two seat sofa in beautiful cognac leather, designed by Tobia Scarpa and manufactured by the Italian firm, B&B Italia, circa 1975. The seating are made with a then revolutionary kind of molded polyurethane foam for excellent support and comfort. The 'Coronado', was the first ever seating to be built using this new technique: the foam molds were assembled around an iron frame, resulting in a sturdy yet extremely comfortable product. The present two seater sofa offered in its original cognac leather upholstery preserved in excellent condition. Labels affixed on both pieces read 'Coronado' designed by Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia. Afra and Tobia Scarpa designs were characterized by simplicity and elegance, accompanied with modern and refined aesthetics. During the 1960's, the couple designed the Bastiano sofa and the Vanessa bed for Gavina and the Soriana armchair and Poltroncina 925 for Cassina, now exhibited in the permanent collection of the MoMA. Among their most famous projects is the ‘Coronado’ sofa, made for B&B Italia in 1966 and recognized as one of the first polyurethane models. Other notable collaborations during this decade included designs with Maxalto, Molteni, Meritalia (the Libertà...
Leather
Sold
H 38.19 in W 38.98 in D 31.5 in
B&B Italia by Jeffrey Bernett Metropolitan ME100/1 Leather Armchair & Footstool
By Jeffrey Bernett, B&B Italia
Located in Basildon, London
Designed by Jeffrey Bernett for B&B Italia in 2003, the Metropolitan ME100/1 armchair is a larger version of the original Metropolitan chair. Upholstered in beige leather, the arm...
Aluminum
Sold
H 15.75 in W 59.06 in D 59.06 in
Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia Cream Fabric Michel Effe Large Ottoman
By Antonio Citterio, B&B Italia
Located in Basildon, London
Originally designed by Antonio Citterio in 2015 for B&B Italia, the Michel Effe seating range continued to build on the design of Michel sofa from 2012, an...
Fabric
Sold
H 13.39 in W 25.6 in D 20.08 in
Italian MidCenturyModern footrest Coronado by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B, 1970
By B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern footrest Coronado by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B, 1970s. Coronado footrest in gray and black striped fabric with round plastic feet. Produced by B&B in...
Fabric, Plastic
"George" Square ottoman by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia
By B&B Italia, Antonio Citterio
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The George Ottoman by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia sits low to the ground on a tubular steel metal base. The square ottoman is upholstered in brown pony leather and is in excellen...
Steel