B&B Italia Camaleonda: The 2020 Edition

Camaleonda’s story is easiest to read as a line of continuity with a clear break in edition. Mario Bellini designed the original Camaleonda system in 1970; the present reedition dates to 2020. That return gives the name its long arc, while the current object has its own construction and materials.^[1,2,3,4]

The recognizable outline comes from the rounded, tufted upholstery, but Camaleonda is also a system. Its 90 × 90 cm seat module is joined to backs and arms through cables, hooks and rings that can be detached and recombined. The result is a design whose arrangement can change without confusing its modular principle with the fixed silhouette of a conventional sofa.^[1,2]

The 2020 reedition has a redesigned, layered interior, with components intended to be disassembled. B&B Italia lists recycled or recyclable materials, wooden panels for seats, backs and arms, and polyurethane padding. These details help place the current model in its own moment: they should not be carried backward as a specification of Bellini’s 1970 original.^[1,2]

Start with the current system’s 90 × 90 cm seat module. Two seat modules side by side make a seat grid 180 × 90 cm; three in a straight row make 270 × 90 cm. These are simple calculations from the module size, not dimensions for a completed sofa. Backs, arms and the selected arrangement still need their own overall drawing.^[1]

The drawing then becomes a record of connections. Mark which edges receive a back or arm and which modules join through the cable, hook and ring system. That reveals the difference between an open seat edge and an enclosed corner before upholstery colour enters the decision. It also preserves the useful distinction between the ability to detach components and the space a particular composition occupies.^[1]