Camaleonda by Mario Bellini from C&B Italia 1970s Set of two large seats
View Similar Items
Camaleonda by Mario Bellini from C&B Italia 1970s Set of two large seats
About the Item
- Creator:Mario Bellini (Designer),C&B Italia (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.17 in (69 cm)Width: 37.8 in (96 cm)Depth: 37.8 in (96 cm)Seat Height: 13.78 in (35 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1969
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Lucca, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3145329364682
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. 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.
C&B Italia
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. The Camaleonda sofa — a darling of the design world — is an iconic C&B piece created in 1970 by Milanese architect and designer Mario Bellini, which became a hit after its star turn in the 1972 exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Soon afterward, however, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
From the outset at C&B, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. As B&B, for decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain legendary 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 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. 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 vintage C&B Italia furniture including sofas, armchairs, tables and more.
- Amanta Cofee-Table by Mario Bellini from C&BBy Mario Bellini, C&B ItaliaLocated in Lucca, ITAmanta Table. Coffee Table model Amanta by Mario Bellini from C&B Italia 1960s This Amanta Table is marked. This Amanta Coffe Table is first edition 1960s ,...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsPlastic
- Amphibious Sofa by A.Becchi from Giovanetti 1970s LeatherBy Alessandro Becchi, GiovannettiLocated in Lucca, ITAnfibio Sofa in cognac-colored leather , by Alessandro Becchi produzione Giovannetti , this sofa was and is incredibly successful, it is one of the most iconic sofas designed in the ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Poltromet Set of Leather 1 Sofa 1 Pouf 1smoll SofaBy PoltromecLocated in Lucca, ITSet of three pîeces in leather Italian manifacture Poltromet 1 Big Sofa cm 230-cm 105-height cm 85 1 Pouf cm 90-cm 65 1 Small or miniature Sofa cm 7...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Micol Table Lamp By Sergio Mazza & Giuliana Gramigna from Quattrifolio 1970sBy Quattrifolio, Sergio Mazza, Giuliana GramignaLocated in Lucca, ITMicol lamp by Sergio Mazza and Giuliana Gramigna from Quattrifolio Design Italy 1970s. The superb model of lamp, Blown Glass Murano, and enameled black met...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsIron
$3,342 Sale Price32% Off - Sofa by Gio Ponti for Home and GardenBy Casa e Giardino, Gio PontiLocated in Lucca, ITSofa by Gio Ponti for Home and Garden 1950 .This sofa is a two-seater , it is a sofa with soft and enveloping lines , with its rounded line is a design icon of the 1950s .It sets w...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
$2,972 Sale Price20% Off - Set of two Coffee Table by Juliette Belarti 1960sLocated in Lucca, ITSet of two coffe-table by Juliette Belarti mid century modern 1960s , top in painted ceramic and steel structur. Measures 60 cm , 30 cm , 38,5 cm hight and 34 cm , 30 cm , 34,5 cm ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Camaleonda Sofa by Mario Bellini Original for C & B Italia, Italy, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, B&B Italia, C&B ItaliaLocated in Milan, ITCamaleonda sofa by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, circa 1970s. This iconic sofa features four seat elements with four back-rests. The Camaleonda became instantly famous when introduc...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Sofas
MaterialsSuede, Fabric
- "Camaleonda" Sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1970sBy B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Lasne, BESofa in green fabric. There are 4 large pieces and an ottoman. Seat height: 35 cm. Dimensions of one piece: H: 65 cm W: 93 cm D: 93 cm Dimensions of the ottoman : H : 35 cm W : 93 cm...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Mario Bellini for C&B Italia 'Camaleonda' Modular Sofa, 1970By Mario Bellini, C&B ItaliaLocated in New York, NY'Camaleonda' modular sofa, designed by Mario Bellini, for C&B Italia, 1970. The structure is constructed of wood and upholstery in fabric. Original label. Prod. C&B, Italia, Noved...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Camaleonda Red Sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Padova, ITThe “Camaleonda” (Chameleon) sofa is Mario Bellini’s contemporary classic. The playful, modular design offers endless options for the user, which also inspired the model’s name. C...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Cord, Foam
- Camaleonda Modular Sofa, Set of 4, Mario Bellini for B&B Italia , Italy 1970sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Naples, ITMario Bellini, large modular sofa 'Cameleonda', red fabric covering, Italy, designed in 1971 The modular elements of this sofa can be used freely and separately from each other. The...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
Sold$12,0782 bidsNo Reserve - 1970s Mario Bellini Le Bambole Two-Seat Sofas, a Pair From B&B ItaliaBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Raleigh, NCPair of 1970s Mario Bellini Le Bambole Sofas, B&B Italia An icon newly restored. This pair feature Pollack Textiles "Modern Dance" Upholstery(black on light khaki). 66" long, 36" ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery