Modular people

The iconic Camaleonda reissued by B&B Italia this year half a century since it first hit the design stage in Milan in 1970, has once again struck a chord with design lovers globally. The powerful appeal of this freedom-loving sofa by Mario Bellini continues to move people with its curvaceous rhythm, endless compositions and sublime comfort. To mark the occasion, More Space asked two fans – Pin-Up magazine’s Felix Burrichter from New York City; and the Brisbane-based founder of Oracle Fox, Amanda Shadforth – to share their stories of love for the Camaleonda.

New York-based writer and creative director Felix Burrichter studied architecture at the Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris and then Columbia University, before launching Pin-Up magazine in 2006. Like many, his love for Mario Bellini’s designs began in childhood.

“I grew up with Bellini’s Amanta sofa in my parent’s living room. I had an affinity for his work long before I even knew who he was,” Burrichter explains. “Most of his designs, especially from that era, share the same golden formula: comfort, practicality, material innovation and elegance. Without ever being stuffy or too bourgeois.”

Mario Bellini was part of a happening design scene in 1960s Milan when traditional Italian furniture makers were embracing new technologies and expanding, inviting young designers including Bellini, Achille Castiglioni, Marco Zanuso, Cini Boeri and Vico Magistretti to bring new energy and ideas in a push to industrialise the industry, and at the same time promote the new look Made in Italy to the world. The name Camaleonda was also created by Bellini, a mash-up of what he described as the "extraordinary animal the camaleonte", or chameleon in english, and onde, which means wave.

“I first came across the Camaleonda through another B&B Italia sofa, Tufty Time, a design by Patricia Urquiola,” explains Burrichter. “Someone pointed out its vague resemblance to Camaleonda, an homage of sorts. I looked it up and suddenly I saw it popping up everywhere. Including in one of my favourite movies, Soylent Green [1973].”

“The Camaleonda combines design ingenuity with a high degree of modular practicality. It’s a great example of how Bellini at that particular time in the 1960s and 70s, was able to fuse innovation with a uniquely Italian sense of elegance, without ever being overly bourgeois”.

Felix Burrichter, Founder, Pin-Up magazine

Burrichter whose interview-based magazine explores what he describes as “architectural entertainment” with designers, art directors, architects, futurists, collectors and artists, feels that the appeal of Camaleonda is enduring.

“The Camaleonda combines design ingenuity with a high degree of modular practicality. It’s a great example of how Bellini at that particular time in the 1960s and 70s, was able to fuse innovation with a uniquely Italian sense of elegance, without ever being overly bourgeois”.

Amanda Shadforth, an artist and the founder of Oracle Fox, agrees that even half a century after it was first released Camaleonda still feels fresh. With a similar story to Burrichter, Shadforth’s affair with Bellini started in childhood and evokes a special set of memories.

“When I was a young girl, my parents had friends who had these wonderful parties. During the course of the evening, I'd often fall asleep on the couch listening to their laughter and the sound of Stan Getz and Astrid Gilberto playing on the record player,” Shadforth remembers. “The sofa was a warm velvet modular number, and ever since those days I've had an evocative connection with any kind of nostalgic modular sofa. The Camaleonda is hands down my favourite, but so far it has slipped through my grasp.”

“When I was a young girl, my parents had friends who had these wonderful parties. During the course of the evening, I'd often fall asleep on the couch listening to their laughter and the sound of Stan Getz and Astrid Gilberto playing on the record player”

Amanda Shadforth, Founder, Oracle Fox

Shadforth's keen eye for design has attracted a large Instagram following drawn to the rich tableau of art, fashion, accessories and still life documented during her travels around the world for fashion shows and photo shoots. A big fan of B&B Italia, Shadforth freely admits that her love for B&B began with Bellini.

“The Camaleonda has been on my wish list for so many years and I feel as though it's that “hero” that anchors the entire mood of the space that it occupies. It's the ideal statement piece, subtly with its soft curves and low profile, yet commanding in its originality and voluptuous shape,” remarks Shadforth. 

“I’ve always adored Mario Bellini. When I first developed a real love for design I fell in love with his Il Colonnato dining table, and then not long after that I realised that he was also behind the Camaleonda," Shadforth continues. "The love affair just continued from there.”


For the digital launch of the 2020 edition of Camaleonda, B&B Italia commissioned paper artist Mauro Seresini to create a film tribute to surrealist Giorgio De Chirico. Here, Camaleonda is viewed through the colourful lens of the artist's most famous paintings depicting classical Italian architecture and its infinite perspectives.

The Camaleonda modular sofa is available exclusively in South East Asia and Australia from Space – Australia and Space – Asia.





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