B&B Italia furniture

The company was founded in 1966 by Piero Ambrogio Busnelli, and ever since it opened, it has distinguished itself from other companies because of its industrial and managerial approach. The emblem of the idea behind this company is the location of the brand's main offices in Novedrate, province of Como, designed in 1972 by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers.

Initially founded with Cassina, the company was known as C&B at the time. During that first period, Busnelli enhanced the industrial, technical and scientific aspects of the company with collaborations from great Italian architects from Cassina, who allowed them to create the Cornado sofa, the symbol of the new industrial culture. This new piece is made by immersing the metal sofa structure in polyurethane to make parts that are easy to assemble.

During the early years, the company made products that quickly became design icons, such as the UP chair and the Le Bambole series.

After separating from Cassina, B&B Italia began its climb to success. In 1975, the Maxalto brand was founded. It gets its penchant for innovation from the parent company, but stands out for producing furniture with classic shapes and craftsmanship typical of cabinet making.

This company’s global success is due to its immediate ability to respond correctly to the living needs of contemporary culture by producing pieces with the taste, quality, creativity and technology that express all of the characteristics of “Made in Italy”.
The final result manifests as emblematic modern furnishings, endowed with a level of refinement that supersedes all other passing fads.

The internal Research and Development Centre puts together the necessary technical values to get effective, functional products. At times, they also collaborate with internationally acclaimed designers.

The company has a dedicated department for Contract projects, which have a more complex level of organisation and require more work. This Contract department works hard to provide “turnkey” solutions for hotels, offices, ships and public spaces.

The company’s presence in the main cities worldwide has allowed it to consolidate its international standing and distinguish itself for its level of innovation, design and product quality. For this reason, B&B Italia is a member of Altagamma, a body that groups together all of the Italian companies with strong international reputations operating in the high-end market.

The Quality of B&B Italia Furniture

All products are made in the production plants in Novedrate and Misinto with the industrial method perfected in the 1960s, which is still the best technology available for producing high quality furnishings with timeless style.

B&B Italia produces a wide range of chairs, all in polyurethane, which are matched with the softest, most comfortable materials. The technology used to immerse the steel moulds into the Bayfit® polyurethane guarantees quality and durability for 10 years.

Each production phase is carefully monitored. Every product has a high intrinsic quality guaranteed by a certificate of authenticity, which attests to the originality and conformity with certified B&B Italia quality standards.

The wide range of fabrics and leathers offered is the result of a rigorous search for the most prestigious hides and yarns, in order to satisfy the demands of the international market.

Fabrics undergo different performance enhancing treatments: stain proofing, Sanfor to stabilise fabrics, buffing to obtain a soft “peach fuzz” feel and, lastly, a flame retardant process to increase resistance to fire.

The treatment reserved for the different types of wood brings out their natural surface and uniqueness. B&B Italia uses American Oak, Latin American Rosewood and Teak, which is resistant to weather and therefore used in the Outdoor collection.

The success of B&B Italia derives from the combination of creativity, innovation and know-how that brings about the creation of products that last over time, due to the quality of materials, construction resistance, functionality and expressiveness.

The products can therefore be considered eco-sustainable, because the use of natural resources is limited by the duration of the product itself. Each process and material, where possible, is optimised towards more and more sustainable options, and for this reason the R&D department works to guarantee that the corporate approach is attentive to environmental equilibrium.

Contemporary B&B Italia Design

All furnishing elements tell a unique story, the result of the intuition and creativity of a designer who creates unique collections with high quality, high performance materials. B&B Italia anticipates trends by creating products with contemporary design and a unique style.

The collections include sofas, armchairs, tables, chairs, beds, wardrobe systems and different types of complements. Each product must be able to adapt to the space and context in which it is placed. For this reason, the products from the collections are guided by common inspiration that can create stylistically coherent room environments. An example of this is the Amoenus line of upholstered pieces created by Antonio Citterio. The modules can be used alone, or be combined into completely customisable furnishing solutions that adapt to the available space.

The armchairs are the designer’s symbol of creativity. A perfect example of this is the iconic Love Papilio which displays the flight of a butterfly, and Husk which invites us to sit down and relax completely.

Technical and scientific research is used also for the Outdoor collection. Comfort, design and exclusive materials furnish gardens and terraces to create elegant, understated environments.