Camaleonda by B&B Italia
The system designed in 1970 makes its comeback 50 years later
Presented to the public in 1970, Camaleonda has passed through 5 decades of design history as a true icon. Designed by Mario Bellini, this modular sofa has defined the aesthetics of an entire era of interior design, thanks to its great success both in terms of the public and critics. It is constantly featured in most international design museums.
An object that is loved by design aficionados, antique dealers and interior decorators alike is finally back in production after a careful design process that involved the close collaboration between the B&B Italia’s Research & Development Centre and Mario Bellini.
Mario Bellini is an internationally renowned architect & designer. He received the Golden Compass Award eight times and 25 of his works are in the permanent design collection of the New York MoMA, which dedicated to him a personal retrospective in 1987).
THE CAMALEONDA IS NOW ON DISPLAY IN THE KIOSK SHOWROOM.
The new 2020 advertising campaign, directed & shot by Rich Stapleton at the British Civic Centre in London
“When B&B Italia asked me to photograph the campaign for the reissue of the sofa in 2020, I knew I wanted to create an image that alluded to this heritage, but which also felt bright and modern. With access to the B&B Italia archive, I referenced earlier campaigns, and the visual language of the brand around the time period when the Camaleonda was first designed” says Rich Stapleton, creative director and photographer of the new advertising.
The sofa is the hero of the image, at the center of the scene, almost as if it were on a stage of a timeless and placeless environment, large and bright, with soft and relaxing colors. The female figure on the scene is a tribute to the pictorial realism of the American Edward Hopper and of those who anticipated him, the Danish “painter of silence” Vilhelm Hammershoi. “I was also drawn to the calm, contemplative paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi, whose wife, Ida, often featured in his work as a single figure amongst otherwise stark, cool interiors. Hammershoi’s modern approach to framing and soft, subdued use of colour consequently became another layer of reference.
I was also inspired by the sensitive use of light in the works of Joseph Gandy, an English artist known for his hand coloured renderings of architectural spaces designed by Sir John Soane. The composition that emerged was evocative of Hammershoi, but warmer in tone, with a ray of light entering the frame” adds Rich Stapleton.
The historic B&B Italia marque, created by Bob Noorda, also becomes the protagonist of the layout, and dialogues with the new Camaleonda logo, giving the visual a strong and clear brand statement.
To accompany the Camaleonda logo, the original claim of the 70ies, “Dieci, cento modi di vivere” (“Ten, one hundred ways of living”; in Italian, to underline the belonging to that extraordinary culture of design made in Italy that has always distinguished B&B Italia). A claim that brings with it the extreme modernity of the sofa, a perfect object for the nomadism of our times, versatile and adaptable.