C&B Italia Furniture
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. The Camaleonda sofa — a darling of the design world — is an iconic C&B piece created in 1970 by Milanese architect and designer Mario Bellini, which became a hit after its star turn in the 1972 exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Soon afterward, however, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
From the outset at C&B, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. As B&B, for decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain legendary 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 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. 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 vintage C&B Italia furniture including sofas, armchairs, tables and more.
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Bronze
20th Century European Art Deco C&B Italia Furniture
Zebra Wood, Alligator
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern C&B Italia Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern C&B Italia Furniture
Fabric
1970s Danish Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Turkish Modern C&B Italia Furniture
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
1960s Italian Space Age Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Fabric, Plastic
Mid-20th Century Danish C&B Italia Furniture
Leather
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Chenille, Velvet
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Brass
2010s European Modern C&B Italia Furniture
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian American Classical C&B Italia Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern C&B Italia Furniture
Velvet, Wood
1970s Italian Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Mohair
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Fiberglass, Fabric
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Leather, Fiberglass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Velvet
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
C&b Italia furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to C&B Italia
- Where is B&B Italia made?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022B&B Italia makes their furniture at a company-owned factory in Novedrate, Como, Italy. The brand's headquarters are also in the city. To ensure quality, skilled artisans produce each piece by hand. On 1stDibs, shop a variety of B&B Italia furniture.