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.
21st Century by M.Bellini Italian Low Marble Table in White Carrara Red Carpazi
By Mario Bellini
Located in massa, IT
Marble table "Bellini 1" designed by Arch. Mario Bellini. Size: cm. 60 x 60 x 30 H. Materials: Fior di Pesco – Bianco UP – Bianco Carrara – Rosso Carpazi Designed by: Mario Bellini
Marble
$7,340 / item
H 11.03 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Jade Coffee Table Low by Draga & Aurel Resin and Brass, 21st Century
By Draga & Aurel
Located in Como, IT
Jade coffee table features ethereal transparency and a reflective surface that plays naturally with light. The brightly colored table top rests on a cylindrical brass base, whose dis...
Brass
$7,331 / item
H 11.03 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Jade Coffee Table Low by Draga & Aurel Resin and Brass, 21st Century
By Draga & Aurel
Located in Como, IT
Jade coffee table features ethereal transparency and a reflective surface that plays naturally with light. The brightly colored table top rests on a cylindrical brass base, whose dis...
Brass
21st Century Leathered Black Marble Cocktail Table
Located in Houston, TX
21st Century black marble cocktail table with a leathered finish. The slab-form square top is supported by a tapered central pedestal base, emphasizing monolith minimal form.
Marble
$2,940Sale Price|30% Off
H 15 in W 40 in D 40 in
Mid Century Italian white Carrara square marble low coffee table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid Century Italian white Carrara square marble low coffee table. Has chamfered edge detail with cube base. All solid white Carrara marble from Italy. Made circa 1970. Very good cond...
Carrara Marble
$3,433 / item
H 15.75 in W 19.69 in D 11.82 in
21st Century Matteo Zorzenoni CantileverSide Coffee Table Marble Red Scapin
By Matteo Zorzenoni
Located in Tezze sul Brenta, IT
Cantilever S side table Designed by Matteo Zorzenoni for Scapin Collezioni Cantilever is a collection of small tables characterized by their visual imbalance created because its cantilevered top is supported by a small base. Designed in two versions, a low model for the armchair and a higher version that enables the top to get over the seat of the sofa, the elements are presented in stained wood, marble, and in several colors. Cantilever è una collezione di tavolini caratterizzati dal loro sbilanciamento visivo creato dal loro piano...
Other
$486 / item
H 15.75 in W 35.44 in D 15.75 in
21st Century Modern Steel White Coffee Table Wave Made in Italy
By Favaretto & Partners
Located in Sant'Elena, IT
The Wave series is the result of a gesture, a natural movement that gives birth to sinuous and minimal forms without neglecting the functionality of the object. It consists of wall s...
Steel
$7,331 / item
H 11.03 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Jade Coffee Table Low by Draga&Aurel Resin and Brass, 21st Century
By Draga & Aurel
Located in Como, IT
Jade coffee table features ethereal transparency and a reflective surface that plays naturally with light. The brightly colored table top rests on a cylindrical brass base, whose dis...
Brass
$91,170 / item
H 20.08 in W 56.7 in D 44.1 in
REY, 21st Century Unique Modern Luxury Center Low Table in Red Marble and Brass
By Privatiselectionem
Located in Sofia, BG
REY - 21st century European unique modern luxury center low table in red marble and brass. If the truth be told, REY table is named after our newest and unforeseen team member, a Cz...
Marble, Brass
Late 17th Century Petite Italian Baroque Low Walnut Table
Located in Troy, NY
Late 17th Century Petite Italian Baroque Low Walnut Table. Rare and adorable small low table of unusual shape. The oblong top with rounded ends and dentil edge supported by lyre-form...
Walnut
$4,102 / item
H 23.63 in W 23.63 in D 11.82 in
21st Century Matteo Zorzenoni Cantilever L Coffee Table Red Levanto Marble
By Matteo Zorzenoni
Located in Tezze sul Brenta, IT
Cantilever L, Colorama Collection Design by Matteo Zorzenoni, product by Scapin Collezioni Cantilever is a side or coffee table characterized by a visual imbalance created because i...
Marble
Pair of Carrara Marble End Tables
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Chicago, IL
Italian marble end tables, polished Carrara marble with offset square edge details, top 2.5" thick top sits on 10" x 10" square column securely. Measure: Total height 22.75". [Stamp...
Carrara Marble
$12,420 / item
H 11.82 in W 41.34 in D 41.34 in
21st Century Modern Sculptural Coffee Table In Solid Sahara Noir Marble
By Alberto Colzani
Located in Milan, IT
A 4-legged table completely made of stone. Through a simple trick the table, which is in fact the assembly of five parts, appears sculpted from a solid block. The four lateral elemen...
Marble
Sold
H 21.26 in W 11.82 in D 35.44 in
Set of Tables Gli Scacchi by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, Italy 1971.
By Mario Bellini
Located in Lot/Drogenbos, BE
Modular Coffee Tables model " Gli Scacchi " named after and inspired by the game of chess, is composed of three elements representing the Queen, the Knight and the Ruck. Made of sof...
Plastic, Rubber
Modular Green Tables by Bellini for B&B Italia, 1968, Set of 3
By Mario Bellini, B&B Italia
Located in Austin, TX
Gli Scacchi modular tables by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, in vivid green. Set of three, each varying in shape. Italy, 1968 Stair Table Dimensions: H 21....
Polystyrene