B&B ITALIA is established in 1966 as the result of the entrepreneurial vision of Piero Ambrogio Busnelli, the Group has built its success on the ability to represent contemporary culture through design and to anticipate trends, constantly seeking to respond to changes in taste and living needs.
It is categories into three sections: INDOOR, OUTDOOR and SEASON HIGHLIGHTS.
Designed in 1969, right from the onset the Up series has been one of the most outstanding expressions of design with its expressive shapes upholstered with elastic fabric. This innovative solution, poised midway between design and art, and conceived to be offered to a wide audience, stems from B&B Italia’s extensive technological know-how in terms of polyurethane injection moulding. Particularly noteworthy among the armchairs is the iconic UP5_6, with its unmistakeable anthropomorphic references: a metaphor of a large womb, it calls to mind ancient statues of the goddesses of fertility. But that’s not all: a spherical ottoman tied to the armchair contrasts the image of comfort and convenience with a more figurative one of a woman with a ball and chain tied to her foot.
Gaetano Pesce described the project as follows: “At that time, I was seeking to tell a personal story about my concept of women: I believe that women have always unwittingly been their own jailer. This is why I decided to give this armchair the shape of a woman with a ball and chain, reflecting the traditional image of a prisoner”.
This armchair also comes in a junior version for kids aged 3 and up – a perfectly faithful replica of the original design, only smaller. The series also includes the UP7 “foot”, a large sculptural object in painted polyurethane that poses as an archaeological relic of the modern era.
In its new version, Camaleonda preserves the elements that have made it an iconic piece of furniture. Certain elements remain faithful to the original project, such as the 90×90 cm seat module, the backrest and armrest, and the characteristic capitonné design, still manufactured with the innovative system of cables, hooks and rings created by Bellini in 1970, which defines its characteristic look and modularity.
Internally, instead, it has been completely redesigned to make Camaleonda even more comfortable than the original, as well as sustainable. The internal structure is now built like a sandwich, with easily disassembled layers of recycled or recyclable materials. The core of the seats, backs and armrests is made up of wooden panels; the padding is made of polyurethane in various levels of density and firmness, with different shaped layers interacting to create a comfortable spring-like effect. This engineering feature makes Camaleonda extraordinarily comfortable and allows the interior of the sofa to be disassembled, making it easy to recycle. The fundamental characteristic of Camaleonda is its unlimited modularity, a geometric nature that allows each element to become a sort of enormous pixel through which to define your home environment. Thanks to the tie-rods and rings, the modules can be unhooked and recombined at will, allowing the sofa to adapt to an evolving taste and to the dynamic needs of those using it, while always maintaining its unique identity.
Camaleonda can be upholstered with the entire textile and leather range of B&B Italia, allowing for another variable in the multitude of possible combinations.
