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.
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.
Mario Bellini Camaleonda Sofa, Ivory Bouclé, Mid-Century Modern, Italy
By Mario Bellini, C&B Italia
Located in London, England
Listed price is per module. Four modules available. Please refer to the Item Condition section for specific details. C&B Italia four large modules with large backs, three detachable armrests, newly reupholstered in Ivory bouclé by Dedar (Karakorum 001, 00T1701100001). The Camaleonda sofa...
Bouclé
Blue Mario Bellini Camaleonda Sofa (one module)
By Mario Bellini
Located in London, England
Listed price is per module. One unit remaining from the original set of three modules. Reupholstered in Sky Blue cotton velvet by Rose Uniacke. Vintage item. Please refer to the It...
Metal
Soriana Two-Seater Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in London, England
Soriana two-seater sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina newly reupholstered in cream corduroy fabric.
Upholstery
Modular Sofa by Tito Agnoli (price per module; three available)
By Tito Agnoli
Located in London, England
Straight units of a modular sofa, designed by Tito Agnoli and produced by Arflex in the 1960s. Reupholstered in an inviting bouclé, which emphasises the decorative banding. Price i...
Bouclé
Etcetera Modular Sofa by Jan Ekselius, Mid-Century Modern, 1970s
By Jan Ekselius, J.O. Carlssons Möbelindustri
Located in London, England
Manufactured by J.O. Carlssons Möbel AB, Vetlanda, 1970s/80s. This piece was a part of the curated collection 'The wild and the vivid 1970s'. Comprising 1 straight and 3 angular m...
Metal
Grete Jalk Daybed for Poul Jeppesen
By Grete Jalk
Located in London, England
Grete Jalk (1920-2006) was a Danish architect and furniture designer known for her contributions to the mid-20th-century design movement. She studied architecture at the Royal Danish...
Velvet, Teak
Camaleonda sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1970
By Mario Bellini
Located in Misinto, IT
Camaleonda, designed by Mario Bellini in 1970, is the sofa that defined the interior design aesthetic of an entire era, becoming an icon of Italian design. Camaleonda achieved succe...
Chenille, Rubber
Mario Bellini 'Camaleonda' Mid-Century Modular Sofa B&B Italia
By Mario Bellini
Located in London, GB
A five piece modular sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia. Italy, c1970s, not a contemporary edition. Infamous 'Camaleonda' model. The modular nature of the sofa allows f...
Fabric
Mario Bellini Modular "Camaleonda" Sofa in Four Segments for B&B, Italy 1971
By Mario Bellini, B&B Italia
Located in Utrecht, NL
The “Camaleonda” (Italian word play combining the words for ‘chameleon’ and ‘wave’) sofa is Mario Bellini’s contemporary classic. The playful, modular design offers endless options for the user, which also inspired the model’s name. Camaleonda has passed through five decades of design history as a true icon. The elements that made this sofa a contemporary classic are the individual modules, their original cutting patterns and the polyurethane padding that forms the characteristic capitonné (a style of upholstery in which the material is drawn in at intervals) design. The four separate segments of this “Camaleonda” were manufactured with the innovative system of cables, hooks, and rings created by Bellini in 1970, which defines the characteristic look and modularity. The fundamental characteristic of Camaleonda is specifically this unlimited modularity, a geometric pattern that allows each element to become an enormous pixel through which to define your home environment. The four modules’ versatility and the attached tie-rods and rings make it possible to create custom forms. Furthermore, the modules can be unhooked and recombined at will, allowing the sofa to adapt to an evolving taste and needs. A concept which is dear to Mario Bellini: “Of all the objects I have designed, Camaleonda is perhaps the best in terms of its sense of freedom. There are infinite numbers of possible configurations.” The modules of this sofa defined the aesthetics of an entire era of interior design, and are constantly featured in most international design. Considering the inherently modern and innovative design, this shall comes as no surprise. Condition: In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. The four modules are upholstered in a brown velour fabric. Each of our items can be re-upholstered by our in-house atelier in a fabric of choice. Please reach out for more information. Dimensions: Large segments: 147.63 in W x 37.79 in D x 26.37 in H; Seat height 15.35 in; Arm height 19.68 in 375 cm W x 96 cm D x 67 cm H; Seat height 39 cm; Arm height 50 cm Literature: Domus n. 523, giugno 1973, pubblicità; G. Gramigna, Repertorio del design italiano 1950 - 1980, Milano 1985, p. 341. About the designer: Mario Bellini (born February 1, 1935, Milan) is an internationally renowned Italian architect and designer. He received the Golden Compass Award eight times and the Medaglia d’Oro, that was conferred on him by the President of the Italian Republic. The MoMA in New York already dedicated a personal retrospective exhibition to him in 1987. At the time the museum already included 25 of his works in its permanent collection, including a remarkable set of Olivetti machines as well as the furniture for B&B and Cassina. He graduated from the Milan Polytechnic - Faculty of Architecture in 1959 and began working as an architect himself in the early 1960s. Like many other Italian architects, his activities range from architecture and urban planning to product and furniture design. His career as a product and furniture designer began in 1963, and from 1963 to 1991 he was chief design consultant for Olivetti. For many years he designed furnishing products and systems for B&B Italia and Cassina, TV sets for Brionvega, and hi-fi systems, headphones and electric organs...
Fabric, Wood
Camaleonda sofa, Mario Bellini for C & B Italia, 1970s
By Mario Bellini
Located in Firenze, IT
Wonderful Camaleonda sofa, designed by Mario Bellini for C&B, in the early 1970s, this is a first edition. The sofa, covered in a beautiful antique pink cotton velvet, consists of 5 ...
Metal
Mario Bellini "Camaleonda" Sofa for B&B Italia, Ivory Bouclé, 1970, Set of 4
By B&B Italia, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "Camaleonda" modular sofa for B&B Italia, ivory bouclé, Italy, 1970, set of four. "Camaleonda" is an icon, rediscovered. It was one of the truly modular sofa designs,...
Bouclé, Plastic
Mario Bellini Modular Sofa by C&B 1970
By Mario Bellini
Located in Cascina, Pisa
The Camaleonda sofa is one of the most iconic creations by Mario Bellini, designed in 1970 for the company B&B Italia. This sofa exemplifies how design can be functional, modular, an...
Fabric, Wood
