Mario Bellini 1972, B & B Italia Le Bambole Sofa in Chocolate Neckleather
View Similar Items
Mario Bellini 1972, B & B Italia Le Bambole Sofa in Chocolate Neckleather
About the Item
- Creator:Mario Bellini (Designer),B&B Italia (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.14 in (74 cm)Width: 63.78 in (162 cm)Depth: 33.47 in (85 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.
- Seller Location:Munster, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU139127713723
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. 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-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 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.
- Børge Mogensen, Coupé Sofa in Chocolate Leather, 1971 for Fredericia, DenmarkBy Fredericia, Børge Mogensen, Fredericia StolefabrikLocated in Munster, NRWBørge Mogensen - coupé sofa, designed in 1971 for Fredericia, Denmark Børge Mogensen designed the luxurious Coupé Sofa with the distinctive high 106 cm back, especially for cozy, ...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Loveseats
MaterialsLeather
- De Sede, 2 Terrazza Sofa DS 1025 in Leather by Ubald Klug & Ueli Berger in 1972By Ueli Berger, Ubald Klug, De SedeLocated in Munster, NRW2x De Sede Terrazza sofas, model DS 1025 in cognac leather. Designed in 1972 by Ubald Klug & Ueli Berger for De Sede, Switzerland. Sophisticated design sofa elements form the perfec...Category
Vintage 1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- De Sede - DS 600 Snake Sofa by Berger & Riva 1972, brown Leather - 12 ElementsBy De Sede, Eleanora Peduzzi-Riva, Heinz Ulrich, and Ueli BergerLocated in Munster, NRWDe Sede DS 600. Design by Ueli bergere, Eleonore Peduzzi-Riva, Heinz Ulrich, Klaus Vogt, 1972. Modulable endless high class leather sofa. 12 elements in brown leather. Good vintage ...Category
Vintage 1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Felt
- Osvaldo Borsani - D70 Sofa & Daybed 1954 by Tecno, Italy - ReupholsteredBy Tecno, Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Munster, NRWOsvaldo Borsani - D70 Sofa & Daybed 1954 by Tecno, Italy The fully reversible cult sofa with movable wings.. This sofa / Daybed is a unique object distinguished by the special mecha...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
MaterialsFabric
- De Sede, DS-15 Modular Sofa in Neck Leather, 1970 Sectional Sofa, SwitzerlandBy De SedeLocated in Munster, NRWDe Sede - DS-15 modular sofa in Neck leather, Switzerland, manufactured in the 1970s. This high quality sectional sofa, designed by De Sede in the 1970s, consists of 2 regular ele...Category
Vintage 1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- COR Trio Modular Sofa, Giant Landscape in chocolate Teddy - 1972 by Team Form AGBy Team Form AG, Cor Rheda WiedenbrückLocated in Munster, NRWCOR trio modular sofa, huge living area in its original chocolate-brown teddy fabric - designed in 1972 by Franz Hero and Karl Odermatt Team Form Ag, Switzerland. The modular sofa s...Category
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Mario Bellini "Le Bambole" Sofa for B&B Italia, Faux-Fur, 1972By B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Lonigo, VenetoMario Bellini "Le Bambole" three-seater sofa for B&B Italia, faux-fur, foam and metal, Italy, 1972. The search for a new shape for upholstered furniture: all parts are shaped like a...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- 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
- Mario Bellini for B&B Italia 'Le Bambole' Loveseat. Italy , 1972By Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis comfortable Flowers fabric settee is bulky and playful, shaped as if it is merely a large cushion and the accompanying feeling is the same. It is designed by Mario Bellini and w...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Foam
- 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, Upholstered in Alpaca, B&B Italia, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in London, GBA beautiful Mario Bellini Le Bambole sofa, produced by B&B Italia, Italy in the 1970s, newly upholstered in a beautifully soft premium, ivory, pure alpaca fabric. Marked on the under...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsAlpaca
- Mario Bellini Le Bambole Sofa, Upholstered in Alpaca, B&B Italia, 1970sBy B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in London, GBA beautiful Mario Bellini Le Bambole sofa, produced by B&B Italia, Italy in the 1970s, newly upholstered in luxurious 100% alpaca. Marked on the underside. Fast shipping worldwide.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsAlpaca
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.