Le Bambole Sofa in Patinated Neckleather by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1972
View Similar Items
Le Bambole Sofa in Patinated Neckleather by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1972
About the Item
- Creator:B&B Italia (Manufacturer),Mario Bellini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.35 in (72 cm)Width: 63 in (160 cm)Depth: 35.44 in (90 cm)Seat Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Almost 50 years old, but the sofa remains in good condition with traces of normal use, wonderful original patina.
- Seller Location:Almelo, NL
- Reference Number:Seller: 2114171stDibs: LU3696322583042
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.
- Mario Bellini 7-Piece Bambole Chairs/ Modular Sofa Set for B&B Italia 1970sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Almelo, NLMario Bellini 7-Piece Bambole Chairs/ Modular Sofa Set for B&B Italia 1970s This is a set of seven original production 'Le Bambole' lounge chairs or mod...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsLeather
- Mario Bellini B&B Italia 'Camaleonda' Modular Sofa in Original Red Velvet 1973By B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Almelo, NLMario Bellini for B&B Italia 'Camaleonda' Modular Sofa in original red velvet corduroy upholstery Italy 1973 Mario Bellini designed this iconic 'Camaleonda' sofa in 1973 for B&B Ita...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Velvet, Wood
- Mario Bellini Amanta B&B Italia Modular Sofa Four Seats in Fabric Italy 1970By Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Almelo, NLMario Bellini Amanta B&B Italia Modular Sofa/ Four Seats, Italy 1970s Looking for a grand and comfortable sofa that can accommodate your entire family? Look no further than the "A...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Fiberglass
- Mario Bellini Amanta B&B Italia Modular Sofa Four Seats in Fabric Italy 1970By B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Almelo, NLMario Bellini Amanta B&B Italia Modular Sofa/ Five Seats, Italy 1970s Looking for a grand and comfortable sofa that can accommodate your entire family? Look no further than the "Ama...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Fiberglass
- Mid-Century Modern Lounge Sofa in Re-Upholstered Bouclé by Guy Besnard 1959By Guy BesnardLocated in Almelo, NLMid-Century Modern Lounge Sofa in Re-Upholstered Bouclé by Guy Besnard, France 1959 Mid-Century Modern lounge sofa designed and edited by Guy Besn...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsMetal
- Ligne Roset Marsala Sofa in Black Leather by Michel Ducaroy, France, the 1970sBy Ligne Roset, Michel DucaroyLocated in Almelo, NLLigne Roset Marsala sofa in black leather by Michel Ducaroy, the 1970s. Good-looking black leather Marsala two-seater sofa by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne...Category
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsLeather, Plexiglass
- Mario Bellini Le Bambole Sofa, Upholstered in Alpaca, B&B Italia, 1970sBy B&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in London, GBA beautiful Mario Bellini Le Bambole sofa, produced by B&B Italia, Italy in the 1970s, newly upholstered in luxurious 100% alpaca. Marked on the underside. Fast shipping worldwide.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsAlpaca
- Mario Bellini Le Bambole Sofa, Upholstered in Alpaca, B&B Italia, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in London, GBA beautiful Mario Bellini Le Bambole sofa, produced by B&B Italia, Italy in the 1970s, newly upholstered in a beautifully soft premium, ivory, pure alpaca fabric. Marked on the under...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsAlpaca
- Mario Bellini Le Bambole Sofa, Upholstered in Alpaca, B&B Italia, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in London, GBA beautiful Mario Bellini Le Bambole sofa, newly upholstered in luxury cream alpaca velvet, produced by B&B Italia, Italy in the 1970s. Marked on the underside. Fast shipping world...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsAlpaca
- 1972 Mario Bellini Leather 'Le Bambole' Sofa for B&B ItaliaBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Los Angeles, CADark brown leather soft form sofa 'Le Bambole' designed by legendary Italian designer Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1972 and awarded with the Compasso d'Oro in 1979. An absolute icon...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsLeather
- Mario Bellini Bambole 2 Seat Sofa B&B Italia, Italy, 1973By Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantHighly cosy so called 'Bambole' 2-seater sofa designed by Mario Bellini and manufactured by B&B Italia, Italy 1973. This sofa was designed in 1973 and turned quickly to one of B&B It...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- "Le Stelle" Loveseat Sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B ItaliaBy Mario Bellini, B&B Italia, KnollLocated in Los Angeles, CA"Le Stelle" loveseat sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, Italy, circa 1970s. Newly reupholstered in white Knoll boucle, the sofa features angled arm rests and Bellini's signature z...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsBouclé
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.