Mario Bellini Seating
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-beloved 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 beloved 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 1972 Camaleonda sofa for B&B Italia. Designed as an entrant to the 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. It 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’s furniture — including walnut dining tables, mid-century sofas and more — today at 1stDibs.
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Fiberglass, Fabric
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Steel
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Metal
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather, Fiberglass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Suede, Foam
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Fabric, Foam
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Suede, Polystyrene
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather, Polystyrene
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Velvet, Foam
Late 20th Century European Post-Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Wool, Foam
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Velvet
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Fabric
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Steel
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Metal
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Metal
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
20th Century Italian Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
20th Century Italian Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Fabric
20th Century Italian Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Steel
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather, Rubber
1980s American Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
20th Century Italian Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Fabric, Bouclé
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Fabric, Foam
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather, Fiberglass
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Marble, Steel
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Velvet
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Velvet
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Fabric
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Steel
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather, Plastic
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Linen
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Plastic
1990s Swiss Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Leather, Plastic
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Fabric
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Bellini Seating
Mohair, Velvet
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Bellini Seating
Wool, Mohair