Mario Bellini Camaleonda Sofa
Vintage 1960s Sectional Sofas
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sofas
Velvet
Mid-20th Century Italian Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet, Foam
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Suede
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sofas
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Sofas
Wool
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Sectional Sofas
Velvet, Foam
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Sofas
Velvet
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Bouclé
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Bouclé
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Suede
Vintage 1970s Sectional Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
Leather, Foam
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
Textile
Vintage 1960s Italian Sofas
Velvet
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet, Glass
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
Linen, Upholstery
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Bouclé
Vintage 1970s European Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
Late 20th Century European Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Late 20th Century European Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool, Mohair
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
Metal
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Bouclé
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1970s Sofas
Velvet, Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Sectional Sofas
Suede, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Leather, Foam
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Cotton, Polystyrene
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Metal
Late 20th Century European Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Velvet, Foam, Plywood
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Mario Bellini Camaleonda Sofa For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Mario Bellini Camaleonda Sofa?
Mario Bellini for sale on 1stDibs
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.
Finding the Right Seating for You
With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.
Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.
Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.
The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.
Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.
With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.
Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.
No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.