Le Bambole return

When B&B Italia released the Le Bambole collection in 1972, it had the design world in a chokehold. It wasn’t just the sexy ad campaign featuring dolled up and topless Warhol muse Donna Jordan cavorting on the curvy two-seater. There was something else about the Bambole pieces — the Bambola armchair, Bibambola two-seater, and the Bamboletto bed (Granbambola was not part of the original collection, the three-seater was launched this year)— that made it so desirable: its effortless construction, designed by Mario Bellini, appeared like a playful pile of plump rectangular cushions stuffed to perfection, yet irresistibly light (relatively speaking for a sofa). For its 50th anniversary re-release B&B Italia and Mario Bellini have made every effort to make the collection even lighter by minimizing the number of materials, and replacing the original steel frame with elements in polyurethane foam and thermoplastic elastomers, all sheathed by an undercover derived from recycled PET. Taking the iconic Bambola armchair for a ride around legendary Tompkins Square Park in New York’s East Village, it’s clear the “dolls” have lost nothing of their original charm.

 Photography by Grace Ahlbom

Credits @pinupmagazine