B&B Italia Seating
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. From the outset, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. In the early 1970s, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
For decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain iconic today — be they Gaetano Pesce’s outwardly curvaceous Up seating (made for C&B, reintroduced by B&B) or tables from industrial designer Paolo Piva, each more sophisticated than the next in their geometrically complex steel-tube bases. B&B Italia earned four prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards: in 1979 for Mario Bellini’s Le Bambole, in 1984 for the Sisamo wardrobe system by Studio Kairos, in 1987 for Antonio Citterio’s modular Sity sofa and, in 1989, the first award given to a manufacturing company itself.
Other notable names who designed for B&B Italia over the course of its 54-year history include Patricia Urquiola, Naoto Fukasawa, Zaha Hadid, Ettore Sottsass and Vincent Van Duysen, to name a very few. And while these names bring star power to the B&B brand, in many cases, it was B&B Italia who helped usher in their celebrity, fostering a wave of design talent on the world stage.
The company’s forward-thinking vision manifested in its own headquarters, too: In 1972, B&B Italia tapped architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers to design a steel-framed, postmodern-style home for the brand, whose crisscrossing metal exoskeleton is reminiscent of the pair’s Centre Pompidou in Paris, which was built at roughly the same time. Now, B&B Italia manages a contract division and outdoor section as well as its residential arm, and it also controls production for Maxalto, a brand spun out with furniture designs by Antonio Citterio.
At 1stDibs, find a range of vintage B&B Italia furniture — including sofas, cocktail tables and more.
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Fabric, Fiberglass
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal, Chrome
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal, Chrome
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal, Chrome
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Steel
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Chenille, Velvet, Foam
1970s Italian Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Fabric, Rubber
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Fiberglass, Wood
Early 2000s Italian Modern B&B Italia Seating
Leather
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern B&B Italia Seating
Leather
2010s Italian B&B Italia Seating
Leather
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern B&B Italia Seating
Fabric
2010s Italian B&B Italia Seating
Leather
Early 2000s Italian Modern B&B Italia Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Bouclé
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern B&B Italia Seating
Leather
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern B&B Italia Seating
Fabric, Fiberglass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Leather
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Fabric
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern B&B Italia Seating
Cotton
1970s Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Leather
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Fabric, Velvet, Fiberglass
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Fabric
1970s Italian Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Fabric, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian B&B Italia Seating
Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Fabric, Bouclé
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Bouclé
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Fabric, Fiberglass
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern B&B Italia Seating
Velvet, Foam
1970s Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Velvet
Mid-20th Century B&B Italia Seating
Leather
Early 2000s Italian B&B Italia Seating
Faux Leather
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Cotton, Foam
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Bouclé
Early 2000s Italian B&B Italia Seating
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern B&B Italia Seating
Alpaca
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Textile
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Fabric, Velvet
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Upholstery, Fiberglass, Foam
1980s Italian Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Leather, Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern B&B Italia Seating
Pewter, Steel, Aluminum
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern B&B Italia Seating
Metal
1980s Italian Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Chrome
1990s Italian Post-Modern B&B Italia Seating
Fabric
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage B&B Italia Seating
Metal
20th Century Italian B&B Italia Seating
Fabric
B&b Italia seating for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to B&B Italia
- Where is B&B Italia made?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022B&B Italia makes their furniture at a company-owned factory in Novedrate, Como, Italy. The brand's headquarters are also in the city. To ensure quality, skilled artisans produce each piece by hand. On 1stDibs, shop a variety of B&B Italia furniture.
- What does R&B mean on silver?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The maker’s mark R&B is from the company Roberts & Belk. Originally known as Furniss, Poles and Turner in 1809, the company went through many different names until it landed on Roberts & Belk in 1864. Known for their silver flatware and cutlery, the brand became quite desirable. Shop a collection of authentic Roberts and Belk silver from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- Is B. Altman still in business?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022No, B. Altman is not still in business. The last remaining B. Altman store closed in 1990 after the company went bankrupt. Benjamin Altman founded the retail department store chain in New York, New York, in 1865. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of B. Altman apparel.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022How to clean a Bulgari B Zero ring depends on the material. You can clean the metal with a soft-bristled toothbrush, warm water and dish soap, and then rinse with lukewarm water. Use a cleaning product formulated for leather to clean leather rings. Wipe gemstones with a soft cloth. Bulgari recommends that you visit a Bulgari boutique once every year for professional cleaning. On 1stDibs, find a range of Bulgari B Zero rings.