UPHOLSTERY
Le Bambole reborn
Above: Le Bambole reimagined Opposite: the controversial 1972 shoot
Fifty years after their initial creation, these icons of Italian style are evolving, thanks to new design choices that make them even more comfortable and increasingly sustainable
In 1972, B&B Italia (known as C&B at the time) presented Le Bambole to the world, a collection of revolutionary upholstered furniture items designed by Mario Bellini. Cosy softness, plush roundness, gentle harmony and playful informality are the keynotes for armchairs, sofas and beds that mark a point of no return, thanks to their aesthetics, production technology and unprecedented marketing campaign. Le Bambole was presented as a series of large cushions arranged almost randomly, in line with the changes in lifestyle at the beginning of the 1970s. Inside, the metal frame ensured solidity, while generous polyurethane padding – the company’s trademark from the outset – made it possible to enjoy the embrace of each Bambola. The upholstery was also designed to be flexible and supportive, in keeping with the structure. The advertising campaign at launch made history in communication and
42
Interiors Monthly June 2022
design. Le Bambole was the subject of a shoot by Oliviero Toscani, who photographed Donna Jordan, a model known for her work at Andy Warhol’s Factory. Jordan dances and laughs topless, relaxed and happy, next to or nestled in Le Bambole. The 1960s and 1970s had seen Italy enact laws that were designed to improve the lives of women (even if
Mario Bellini
they were more honoured in the breach than in the observance). So Toscani’s images were a shock. They were revealed for the first time in the corridors of the 1972 Salone del Mobile and were immediately censored. A constant presence in the B&B Italia catalogue for 50 years, Le Bambole has evolved to become even more contemporary, the revamped version
