Pair of B&B Italia “Mart” Swivel Armchairs in Black “Pelle” Leather and Metal
About the Item
- Creator:B&B Italia (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 26.78 in (68 cm)Width: 29.53 in (75 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2015
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Barrowford, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1301231920802
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.
You May Also Like
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Velvet
Mid-20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Hardwood
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
20th Century English Industrial Swivel Chairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Leather, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Leather
Vintage 1940s American Swivel Chairs
Wood, Leather
More From This Seller
View All2010s Armchairs
Leather
2010s Swivel Chairs
Leather
2010s Armchairs
Leather
2010s Armchairs
Leather
2010s Italian Armchairs
Leather
2010s Italian Armchairs
Leather
Still Thinking About These?
All Recently ViewedRead More
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.
Vincent Van Duysen Imbues Minimalism with Warmth
The Antwerp-based designer lends his unique touch to homes, boutiques and offices in Belgium, the United States and Germany, as well as furniture for B&B Italia and Molteni.