1972 Mario Bellini Leather 'Le Bambole' Sofa for B&B Italia
View Similar Items
1972 Mario Bellini Leather 'Le Bambole' Sofa for B&B Italia
About the Item
- Creator:Mario Bellini (Designer),B&B Italia (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 64 in (162.56 cm)Depth: 37 in (93.98 cm)Seat Height: 16.5 in (41.91 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. Minor losses. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: S580 LS1stDibs: LU922438589322
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.
- Le Bambole Chaise Lounge in Butterscotch Suede by Mario Bellini for C&B ItaliaBy Mario Bellini, C&B ItaliaLocated in Los Angeles, CALe Bambole chaise lounge in butterscotch suede by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1972. The Bambole series has become an iconic symbol of Italian d...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsSuede
- Gerard van den Berg Sofa High Back Sofa for Montis in Cognac & Chocolate LeatherBy Gerard Van Den Berg, MontisLocated in Los Angeles, CAHigh back cognac leather sofa by Gerard van Den Berg for Montis. Cognac leather with 3 dark chocolate leather buttoned on back pillows and matching chocola...Category
Vintage 1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Gerard Van Den Berg 'Corvette' Sofa in Bordeaux LeatherBy Gerard Van Den Berg, MontisLocated in Los Angeles, CAMidcentury Gerard Van Den Berg 'Corvette' sofa in Bordeaux leather with short stubby wood legs. In original condition with visible wear and scratching consistent with age and use. An...Category
Vintage 1980s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Foam, Wood
- Gerard Van Den Berg Leather "High Noon" High Back Brown Leather Sofa and PillowsBy Molteni & C, Gerard Van Den BergLocated in Los Angeles, CAMid-Century three seater cognac leather "High Noon" sofa by Gerard van den Berg who, after leaving Montis but prior to starting Label, designed under "Gerard van den Berg Design" for Molteni, Perobell and Wittmann amongst others. This sofa has three throw pillows...Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Gerard Van Den Berg 'Corvette' Sofa in Natural Tan LeatherBy Montis, Gerard Van Den BergLocated in Los Angeles, CAGerard van den Berg 'Corvette' sofa in cognac leather with short tapered wood legs. In original condition with some visible wear and scratching consistent with age and use. Some dent...Category
Vintage 1980s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Stefan During "Colosseum" Sofa w/ Slatted Curved Back & Brown Leather Bench SeatBy Stefan DuringLocated in Los Angeles, CAGorgeous "Colosseum" leather and elm wood sofa by Dutch designer Stefan During. Working only with the best local woods and vegetable-tanned leather Durin...Category
1990s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Elm
- Mario Bellini for B&B Italia 'Le Bambole' Loveseat, Italy, 1972By Mario BelliniLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis comfortable brown original 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 Bellin...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsFabric, Foam, Wood
$7,840 Sale Price20% Off - Mario Bellini 'Le Bambole' for B&B ItaliaBy Mario BelliniLocated in Boston, MALe Bambole' sofa designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, circa 1990s. Wrapped in thick original red wool upholstery. Le Bambole envisaged a “fabric containing a soft body” with nat...Category
1990s Italian Loveseats
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, newly upholstered in luxury cream alpaca velvet, produced by B&B Italia, Italy in the 1970s. Marked on the underside. Fast shipping world...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
- Mario Bellini Bambole 2 Seat Sofa B&B Italia, Italy, 1973By Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantHighly cosy so called 'Bambole' 2-seater sofa designed by Mario Bellini and manufactured by B&B Italia, Italy 1973. This sofa was designed in 1973 and turned quickly to one of B&B It...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- "Le Stelle" Loveseat Sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B ItaliaBy Mario Bellini, B&B Italia, KnollLocated in Los Angeles, CA"Le Stelle" loveseat sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, Italy, circa 1970s. Newly reupholstered in white Knoll boucle, the sofa features angled arm rests and Bellini's signature z...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsBouclé
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.