In 1972, the modern furniture company B&B Italia debuted one of its signature seating styles, Le Bambole by Mario Bellini. The internationally renowned architect and designer created what’s since become an iconic collection of furniture items, including armchairs, sofas and beds, all built for comfort thanks to their trademark plush rounded cushions.
What arguably first put the design on the map half a century ago was the brand’s advertising campaign, shot by Oliviero Toscani and featuring model Donna Jordan, an Andy Warhol Factory superstar. When the photos of Jordan shimmying topless around a B&B Italia chair debuted at the 1972 Salone del Mobile in Milan, the campaign was immediately censored. (It later went on to run in magazines and exhibitions.) The style deservedly was thrust back into the spotlight in 1979 when Le Bambole won the Compasso d’Oro, a renowned Italian industrial design award.
In honor of Le Bambole’s milestone 50th anniversary, the brand has unveiled an updated version of the line that’s sustainable and even more comfortable than before. The style has been in the B&B Italia catalogue for decades, but pieces are now constructed with recycled polyethylene and the new design tweaks give it additional structure and breathability. The coverings come in eight colorways as well as a leather or a limited edition floral-print fabric option.
“We have recovered its charm, its sumptuous floridity, its softness,” Bellini says of the seating. “I feel the pleasure of revisiting this family again, because it confirms to me that it is anything but aged; on the contrary, it is enjoying a thriving and promising second life, a rebirth done in a big way, done with enthusiasm, with breadth, with decorations and with the original flourishes.”
Visit B&B Italia; 4141 NE 2nd Ave, Miami.
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