Modular Leather Char-a-Banc Sofa by Mario Bellin for Cassina
View Similar Items
Modular Leather Char-a-Banc Sofa by Mario Bellin for Cassina
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Manufacturer),Mario Bellini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 111 in (281.94 cm)Depth: 85 in (215.9 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 3
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. This piece is in very good vintage condition. Some light scratches to the seat cushions. This sofa has been professionally cleaned. Please see pictures.
- Seller Location:Costa Mesa, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU922010932571
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.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- John Van Koert Walnut Leather Top Desk for Drexel, c.1965By Drexel, John Van KoertLocated in Costa Mesa, CAJohn Van Koert Walnut Leather Top Desk for Drexel, c.1965. This piece has been professionally restored.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Lou Hodges Oak & Leather Lounge Chairs for California Design Group, 1970'sBy Lou HodgesLocated in Costa Mesa, CALou Hodges Oak & Green Leather Lounge Chairs for California Design Group, 1970's. This pair has been expertly restored.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Richard Barr Sculptural Table Lamp for the STUDIO Collection by Laurel, c.1965By Laurel Lamp Company, Richard Barr, Harry BalmerLocated in Costa Mesa, CARichard Barr Sculptural Table Lamp for the STUDIO Collection by Laurel, United States, c.1965. Beautiful torch cut and welded brutalist form. Measures: - 13" Deep - 14" Wide -...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBronze, Steel, Copper
- Post-Modern Breccia Marble Console Table, Italy, c.1980By Mario Bellini, Angelo MangiarottiLocated in Costa Mesa, CAPost-Modern Breccia Marble Console Table, Italy, c.1980Category
20th Century Italian Post-Modern Console Tables
MaterialsBreccia Marble
- Jens Quistgaard Rosewood Box for Dansk, Denmark, c.1960By Dansk, Jens QuistgaardLocated in Costa Mesa, CAJens Quistgaard Lidded Rosewood Box for the Dansk Rare Wood Collection, Denmark, c.1960.Category
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsWood
- Evelyn Ackerman Tapestry for ERA Industries USA, 1962By Evelyn Ackerman, Era IndustriesLocated in Costa Mesa, CAEvelyn Ackerman Tapestry for ERA Industries USA, 1962. Signed EA.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tapestries
MaterialsWool
- Mario Bellini Anthracite Gray Pianura Modular Sofa for Cassina, 1970, Set of 6By Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Vicenza, ITPianura sofa, designed by Mario Bellini and manufactured by the Italian brand Cassina in 1970. The set is composed of six modules. It features an an...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsCanvas, Foam, Walnut
- Rare Original Mario Bellini Le Mura Modular Sofa, Cassina, 1970sBy Mario BelliniLocated in London, GBAn original and very rare Mario Bellini Le Mura modular sofa (can also be used as two chairs), made by Cassina, Italy, 1970s. Two large seating element...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Le Mura 4-Seater Sofa in beige/grey velvet by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in amstelveen, NLExceptional and rare 4-piece sectional Le Mura sofa by Mario Bellini for Cassina, Italy, 1970s. The sofa is reupholstered in a Dedar Milano cotton velvet fab...Category
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet
- Mario Bellini "Camaleonda" Modular Sofa for B&B Italia, 1970By Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoMario Bellini "Camaleonda" modular sofa for B&B Italia, velvet, metal and plastic, Italy, 1970, eight elements. "Camaleonda" is an icon, rediscove...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Mario Bellini "Camaleonda" Modular Sofa for B&B Italia, 1970By B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Lonigo, VenetoMario Bellini "Camaleonda" modular sofa for B&B Italia, velvet, metal and plastic, Italy, 1970, three elements. "Camaleonda" is an icon, rediscove...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Mario Bellini "Camaleonda" Modular Sofa for B&B Italia, 1970By B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Lonigo, VenetoMario Bellini "Camaleonda" modular sofa for B&B Italia, velvet, metal and plastic, Italy, 1970, four elements. "Camaleonda" is an icon, rediscover...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsMetal
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.
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.