Camaleonda Sofa in Sand Mohair Velvet by Mario Bellini for C&B, Italia, 1970
View Similar Items
Camaleonda Sofa in Sand Mohair Velvet by Mario Bellini for C&B, Italia, 1970
About the Item
- Creator:Mario Bellini (Designer),C&B Italia (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.6 in (65 cm)Width: 100.01 in (254 cm)Depth: 37.41 in (95 cm)Seat Height: 14.97 in (38 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses.
- Seller Location:Renens, CH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5599233566932
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.
- Bambole Sofas by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1980sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Renens, CHIconic set of two seater sofas by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, originating from the 1980s. We have selected Musco, a dark blue mohair from De Ploeg, the Netherlands: Mohair has ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
$9,455 / item - Cab 414 Armchairs by Mario Bellini for CassinaBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Renens, CHTwo Cab 414 armchairs in cognac leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina. These very comfortable lounge chairs are built up with a tubular steel frame o...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
$4,507 / item - Cab 413 Chair by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1990sBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Renens, CHCab 413 arm chair in black leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina: The Cab chair is built up as a tubular frame over which thick saddle leather is fitted; the leather skin is kept in ...Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Cab 412 Chairs in Cream Leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina, Set of 4By Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Renens, CHSet of four Cab 412 side chairs in cream-coloured leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina. The Cab chair is built up as a tubular frame over which thick saddle leather is fitted; the l...Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Cab 412 Chairs in Cream Leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina, Set of 4By Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Renens, CHSet of four Cab 412 side chairs in cream leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina. The Cab chair is built up as a tubular frame over which thick saddle leather is fitted; the leather sk...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Italian Design Classics, Cab Chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina, Set of 6By Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Renens, CHSet of two Cab 413 armchairs and four Cab 412 side chairs in red leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina. These very comfortable lounge chairs are built up with a tubular steel fra...Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 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 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 "Camaleonda" Sofa for B&B Italia, Brown Mohair, 1970, Set of 5By Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoMario Bellini "Camaleonda" modular sofa for B&B Italia, brown mohair, Italy, 1970, five elements. "Camaleonda" is an icon, rediscovered. First designed in 1970 by Mario Bellini, it ...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