Le Bambole by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia 1972
About the Item
- Creator:Mario Bellini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)Seat Height: 16.54 in (42 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Arezzo, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7267238824702
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Arezzo, Italy
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Day bed Le Bambole by Mario Bellini for B&b Italia 1972By Mario BelliniLocated in Arezzo, ItalyPair of daybed Le Bambole designed by Mario Bellini for B&b Italia 1970, reupholster in leather, linen and cotton mattress. The Bambole series won the Compasso d'Oro award in 1979....Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
MaterialsLeather, Cotton, Linen
- Le Bambole Chaise Longue by Mario Bellini for B&b, Italia, 1972By Mario BelliniLocated in Arezzo, ItalyLe Bambole Chaise-Longue designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1972. The Bambole series won the Compasso d'Oro award in 1979. Le Bambole is an icon...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsAnimal Skin
- Le Bambole Chaise Longue by Mario Bellini for B&b, Italia, 1972By Mario BelliniLocated in Arezzo, ItalyLe Bambole Chaise-Longue designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1972. The Bambole series won the Compasso d'Oro award in 1979. Le Bambole is an icon...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsAnimal Skin
- Camaleonda by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia 1970By Mario BelliniLocated in Arezzo, ItalyDivano modulare Camaleonda disegnato da Mario Bellini nel 1970 per C&B Italia. Una prima produzione C&B Italia ( Cassina - Busnelli ) in velluto mohair...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Bamboleuse by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia 1970By Mario BelliniLocated in Arezzo, ItalyBamboleuse and Bambouff designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1970. The Bambole series won the Compasso d'Oro award in 1979. Le Bambole is an iconic piece of Italian design. inc...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsLeather
- 932 Mario Bellini Cassina, 1964By Mario BelliniLocated in Arezzo, ItalySofa 932 by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1964.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Sofas
MaterialsAnimal Skin
- 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
- 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' 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 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
- Le Bambole Sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B ItaliaBy Mario BelliniLocated in Montréal, QCLe Bambole Loveseat by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1970s. This iconic sofa is made of a thick buffalo brown leather - polyurethane foam interior with metal frame. In good vintage ...Category
20th Century Italian Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Le Bambole - 2 seater, Mario Bellini for B&B Italia.By Mario BelliniLocated in Las Vegas, NVDesigned in 1972 by industrial designer Mario Bellini for C&B Italia (now B&B Italia). With the intention to mimic a swollen pillow resting on the floor. There was no foam available ...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Foam