Camaleonda - A Chameleon Reinvents Itself

The Camaleonda is a sofa with a past – from being the last word in forward thinking design in 1970 to deletion from the books in 1979 to a subsequent career as an elusive, highly sought-after vintage piece. Then came Instagram fame through style bloggers and arbiters of taste such as Athena Calderone, leading to the Camaleonda being reissued by B&B Italia, the original manufacturers, working alongside eighty-six year old design genius Mario Bellini, the original designer.

This is certainly not a predictable sofa setting – the low lying, somewhat louche modules can be taken apart and reattached at whim with easily unhooked carabiners. The early 70s was a time of loose flowing robes pulled together with pins and an open plan lifestyle in every sense of the word – the Camaleonda reflects this in the randomness of the soft pulled tufting around the hooks and clips, its sublime comfort and its close proximity to the floor.

Nothing has been changed from the original 1970 design except for accommodating improved, environmentally sustainable materials. The feet are now made of FSC certified beech wood, the padding is polyurethane and the removable covers are made from recycled PET.

Nothing has been changed from the original 1970 design except for accommodating improved, environmentally sustainable materials. The feet are now made of FSC certified beech wood, the padding is polyurethane and the removable covers are made from recycled PET.

The cachet of owing a Camaleonda remains. Comfort, style and vintage glamour are not incompatible with a contemporary aesthetic, no matter how austere.