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.
Terminal 1 Chaise Lounge by Jean-Marie Massaud for B&B Italia
Located in Las Vegas, NE
Designed by Jean-Marie Massaud, the Terminal 1 is a striking sculptural seating piece that seamlessly combines the functions of an armchair and chaise lounge. Introduced by B&B Itali...
Leather
$7,200
H 30.31 in W 61 in D 25.98 in
Antonio Citterio Leather Chaise Lounge Or Sofa Baisity by for B&B Italy
By Antonio Citterio, B&B Italia
Located in Vienna, AT
Leather chaise lounge Baisity by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italy, 1982. Elegant chaise lounge featuring a leather upholstered steel-frame and backrest, a black leather cushion and a leather mattress...
Steel, Aluminum
$5,986
H 33.47 in W 43.31 in D 53.15 in
B&B Italia Diesis Chaise Longue by Antonio Citterio & Paolo Nava, Italy, 1979
By B&B Italia, Antonio Citterio, Paolo Nava
Located in Langemark-Poelkapelle, BE
An iconic Diesis chaise longue designed by Antonio Citterio and Paolo Nava for B&B Italia. Originally introduced in 1979, the Diesis collection is considered one of the defining achi...
Aluminum
$13,289Sale Price / set|25% Off
H 33.47 in W 33.47 in D 39.38 in
Bamboleuse by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia 1970
By Mario Bellini
Located in Arezzo, Italy
Bamboleuse and Bambouff designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1970. The Bambole series won the Compasso d'Oro award in 1979. Le Bambole is an iconic piece of Italian design....
Leather
$5,670
H 29.14 in W 31.89 in D 50.79 in
Le Bambole Chaise Longue by Mario Bellini for B&b Italia, 1972
By Mario Bellini
Located in Brussels, BE
Le Bambole Chaise Longue by Mario Bellini for B&b Italia, 1972
Fabric
Le Bambole Chaise by Mario Bellini B&B Italia
By Mario Bellini, B&B Italia
Located in Raleigh, NC
B&B Italia chaise lounge Le Bambole 1972 design by Mario Bellini Italian chaise made of heavy foam and newly upholstered in leather A great design from ...
Leather
$6,201Sale Price|30% Off
H 33.47 in W 33.47 in D 39.38 in
Bambole Lounge chair by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia
By Mario Bellini, B&B Italia
Located in Wien, AT
The Bambole lounge chair is part of the Le Bambole series, which was designed in 1973. Bambole is a timelessly modern icon and an expression of first-class Made in Italy design. What...
Leather
$4,843 / item
H 13.39 in W 78.75 in D 26.78 in
Argil Grey Ponente Sun Lounger by Martinelli Venezia Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Argil Grey Ponente Sun Lounger by Martinelli Venezia Studio Dimensions: D 68 x W 200 x H 34 cm. Materials: Polyethylene. Weight: 25 kg. Available in different color options. This pr...
Other
B&B Italia Charles Designer Chaise Longue by Antonio Citterio
Located in Nottingham, GB
Designed by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia in 1997, the Charles chaise longue has become one of the defining icons of contemporary Italian furniture design. Celebrated for its clean...
Upholstery
Hans Hartl "Soloform 5008" Chaise Lounge
By Hans Hartl, Eugen Schmidt
Located in Hanover, MA
Rare Soloform model 5008 chaise lounge designed by Hans Hartl (1899-1980) for Eugen Schmidt, Darmstadt, Germany, 1953. Measures: 72 1/2" W x 35 3/4" D x 30 1/4" H Known as the Shell Couch (Schalencouch) channel tufted white leather upholstered hardwood frame with elastic straps and foam on tubular chrome base. Very rare and beautiful Avant Garde freeform chaise longue produced in very few numbers. This is one of the few post WWII designs produced by Hartl and exemplifies the link between art and design during this progressive period. Hartl was a high profile architect, decorator and furniture designer during the late 1920s-1930s period whose works were published alongside those of greats such as Josef Hoffmann, Le Corbusier, Mendelsson, Pier Luigi Nervi...
Chrome
Post Modern Alexander Lotersztain QTZ Chair
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Solid and sticking swivel chair. White enameled metal on swivel base. Superb craftsmanship on the quartz chair. We have not seen a lower back version of these limited edition chair b...
Enamel, Steel
Beautiful Light Brown Remy Lounge Chair for Bernhardt
By Jeffrey Bernett, Bernhardt Design, Florence Knoll
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Jeffrey Bernett designed Remy swivel lounge chair with light brown soft silky upholstery on a self returning chrome bases. Heavy, solid, and well made chairs showing little use. Manu...
Chrome
Midcentury Barcelona Daybed Ludwig Mies van Der Rohe for Knoll
By Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Knoll
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Barcelona couch daybed for Knoll International, USA, 1980s. One of the most iconic and enduring modernist des...
Chrome
Eames and Alexander Girard for Herman Miller La Fonda Fiberglass Armchair, 1960s
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Original La Fonda fiberglass armchair designed by Charles Eames and Ray Eames and manufactured by Herman Miller, circa 1960s. The sculptural fiberglass shell features integrated arms...
Aluminum
Midcentury Karuselli Chair by Yrjö Kukkapuro, 1960s
By Haimi, Yrjö Kukkapuro
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Lounge Chair, designed by Yrjö Kukkapuro. Finnland, Haimi, 1964. Early Swivel and tilt armchair, produced in the late 1960s by Haimi. Organically shaped fibreglass shell, newly uph...
Steel
Midcentury Knoll Barcelona Chair in Special Order Stainless Steel
By Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Knoll
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Authentic Midcentury Modern Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll – Premium Stainless Steel Version Offered for sale is an iconic Barcelona Chair, designed by Ludwig Mies ...
Stainless Steel
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.
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.
