Mario Bellini for B&B Camaleonda Set Sofà
View Similar Items
Mario Bellini for B&B Camaleonda Set Sofà
About the Item
- Creator:B&B Italia (Manufacturer),Mario Bellini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.6 in (65 cm)Width: 35.44 in (90 cm)Depth: 35.44 in (90 cm)Seat Height: 11.82 in (30 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1972
- Condition:
- Seller Location:bari, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4076323544962
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.
B&B Italia
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. From the outset, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. In the early 1970s, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
For decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain iconic 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 Mario 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.
The company’s forward-thinking vision manifested in its own headquarters, too: In 1972, B&B Italia tapped architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers to design a steel-framed, postmodern-style home for the brand, whose crisscrossing metal exoskeleton is reminiscent of the pair’s Centre Pompidou in Paris, which was built at roughly the same time. 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 a range of vintage B&B Italia furniture — including sofas, cocktail tables and more.
- Italian Mid Century Framar Therapy Day Bed Mod. 60s YogaBy FramarLocated in bari, ITTherapy day bed, yoga model with corner composed of black lacquered teak wood table and armchair. Seats in bordeaux sky made by Framar, 1960s n.b. a cushion has an open cut and a ...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Gianni Songia Sofa for Sormani Late 60'sBy Luigi Sormani, Gianni SongiaLocated in bari, ITThree-seater sofa model GS 195 by Gianni songia for Sormani 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Molteni attributed sofa seventiesBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Molteni & CLocated in bari, ITTwo-seater sofa structure in light wood with upholstery, vintage velvet cushions, Molteni 70s production attr. Afra and Tobia Scarpa.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Soriana Sofa design Afra and Tobia Scarpa for CassinaBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in bari, ITSoriana two-seater sofa, upholstered in black velvet, was designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa and produced by Cassina in the 1970s. The Soriana collection intended to express beauty and comfort by using an entire bundle of fabric held by a chromed steel clamp. The "Soriana Chair" was the first piece in the collection and won the Compasso d'Oro in 1969 for its design. This two seater armchair has been recently upholstered and is therefore in excellent condition. n.b. the price refers to the single piece. Tobia Scarpa Italian architect, designer and restorer. He worked for much of his career alongside his wife Afra Bianchin (Montebelluna, March 28, 1937 - Trevignano, July 30, 2011). Their work can be found in many museums in the United States and Europe, including MoMa and the Louvre. He has collaborated with companies such as B&B Italia, San Lorenzo Silver...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel
$7,883 Sale Price / item20% Off - Scandinavian Midcentury Sofa from 1960sLocated in bari, ITScandinavian design teak sofa from the 1960s.Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Italian Mid Century Two Seater Sofa 1960sLocated in bari, ITTwo-seater italian sofa found in an driving school, metal frame with wooden finials lined with taupe velvet Italian production 1960sCategory
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern 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 Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated 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
- 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, rediscov...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
- 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, Italy, 1970, four elements. "Camaleonda" is an icon, rediscovered. A special project made possible this limited edition of "...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern 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.
Rooms We Love: 11 Splendid Living Rooms
Common wisdom used to declare the kitchen the hub of the house. These days, the living room seems to have assumed the role of domestic focal point. Unlike the Victorian parlor, stiffly furnished and reserved for guests, today’s living room is a central place for reading, conversation and, well, living, with furnishings that lend themselves to both casual lounging and elegant entertaining.