Mario Bellini's iconic Camaleonda sofa re-launched in Sweden

If you could design a sofa to live with for the rest of your life, what would it look like? Like Camaleonda, perhaps. Smart, sophisticated and subtly simple. You can change it however you want, whenever you want, and never get bored.

To call Camaleonda a sofa is actually being overly modest. The name is an amalgamation of the Italian words camaleonte (chameleon) and onda (wave) and emphasises its flexibility and endless possibilities. It is a buildable system with square modules and loose arm and back rests. You move them around and put them together as you wish in an ingenious way with hooks and loops. The system becomes what you make it: a single armchair, the lifeblood of your living room or an entire lounge landscape. Camaleonda is a glamorous interior tetris for adults.

Mario Bellini designed Camaleonda in 1970, as a reaction to either rigid traditional upholstery or impossible space age experiments of the time. Today, five decades later, Camaleonda is a true design icon.

When B&B Italia decided to relaunch Camaleonda, it was natural to turn back to Mario Bellini to update the sofa system.

– When they asked me, I immediately realised that I wouldn't be able to change the shape itself, says Mario Bellini. There is no reason. It is as relevant today as it was then. But we worked in detail with new and improved materials.

In terms of shape, Camaleonda combines a strict square geometry with a softer, bulkier roundel and sensual drapes in a striking way. The interior in particular has been updated, prioritising sustainable materials and enhanced comfort. You have even more colours (five) and materials - the full B&B Italia range - to choose from now, but otherwise the exterior is unchanged from 1970. It's a 50-year-old that has never felt more modern or more desirable.

– With the Camaleonda, the possibilities are endless and it gives a feeling of unlimited freedom, shines Mario Bellini. That's why I think it's the best thing I've ever designed.

Camaleonda is available in both our Stockholm and Gothenburg showrooms.

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