B&B Italia
Major Italian design house founded 1966 in Novedrate, Como: indoor and outdoor collections by Lissoni, Citterio, Fukasawa and Barber Osgerby, read for the US buyer.
Sixty years of Italian design leadership.
B&B Italia was founded in 1966 by Piero Ambrogio Busnelli in Novedrate, Como province, and has become one of the most documented design houses in Italy. Its headquarters building, completed in 1972, was designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers before they built the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The company has won four Compasso d'Oro awards and produced more than a thousand designs since its founding.
Its catalogue covers both indoor and outdoor furniture, shaped by a long roster of collaborators: Antonio Citterio, Piero Lissoni, Naoto Fukasawa, Patricia Urquiola, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, among others. For US buyers, collections reach the market through authorised dealers, with lead times that vary by line and finish.
A selection of lines.
Borea
Piero Lissoni's 2021 outdoor collection: a slim tubular aluminium frame, glazed lava-stone tabletops and recycled-polyester cushions. Winner of the 2022 Green Good Design Award.
Borea
Designed by Piero LissoniBorea is B&B Italia's 2021 outdoor collection by Piero Lissoni. Its slim tubular aluminium frame is shaped using metal-bending techniques borrowed from the aeronautical industry, giving the pieces an unusually light silhouette. Tabletops are in glazed lava stone from Etna, Sicily, their surface coating made from recycled glass from discarded television and computer monitors.
Cushions are filled with polyester fibre from recycled PET bottles: approximately 280 1.5-litre bottles go into each armchair, 510 into a three-seater sofa. The collection is designed to be fully disassembled at end of life. It won the 2022 Green Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
What the pieces are made of.
B&B Italia's outdoor collections draw on a range of verified materials: tubular aluminium, die-cast aluminium, FSC-certified solid teak, ultra high performance concrete, Batyline mesh, textilene rope and glazed lava stone. The Borea collection uses recycled aluminium frames and cushions made from recycled PET fibre, with lava-stone tops glazed using recycled glass.
On every brand page these details stay factual and sourced. Collection names, designers and materials are checked against the maker before they go live.
B&B Italia, answered.
Where is B&B Italia made?
B&B Italia is based in Novedrate, in Italy's Como province, where it has been headquartered since it was founded in 1966. Its factory buildings include a 1972 headquarters designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers.
When was B&B Italia founded?
In 1966, by Piero Ambrogio Busnelli, who had previously co-founded C&B Italia with Cesare Cassina. The company became B&B Italia in 1973.
Who designs for B&B Italia?
The roster includes Antonio Citterio, Piero Lissoni, Naoto Fukasawa, Patricia Urquiola, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, and many others across indoor and outdoor lines.
What is the Borea collection?
Borea is a 2021 outdoor collection by Piero Lissoni. It uses a slim tubular aluminium frame, glazed lava-stone tabletops and cushions filled with recycled-PET fibre. It won the 2022 Green Good Design Award.
What materials does Borea use?
Tubular aluminium frames, glazed lava stone from Etna for tabletops, and polyester-fibre cushions made from recycled PET plastic bottles. The collection is designed for disassembly at end of life.
What is the Ayana collection?
Ayana is an outdoor collection by Naoto Fukasawa. It uses FSC-certified solid teak left unpainted to age naturally, and serpentine stone tops on tables. The design references Japanese and Nordic formal traditions.
What is the Mirto Outdoor collection?
Mirto Outdoor was designed by Antonio Citterio in 2013. It combines a die-cast aluminium frame with Batyline mesh seating and spans chairs, loungers, tables and complements.
What is the Tobi-Ishi Outdoor table?
Tobi-Ishi Outdoor was designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. The tables are made in ultra high performance concrete and reference the polished stepping stones, called tobi-ishi, of traditional Japanese gardens.
Is B&B Italia available in the US?
Yes. Collections reach the US through authorised dealers; lead times vary by line and finish.
Does B&B Italia make indoor furniture as well?
Yes. B&B Italia's indoor catalogue includes iconic pieces such as the UP Series by Gaetano Pesce, the Charles sofa by Antonio Citterio and the Tufty-Time sofa by Patricia Urquiola, among many others.
How should I care for B&B Italia outdoor furniture?
Care varies by collection and material: aluminium pieces, teak, concrete and mesh each have specific requirements. Follow the maker's collection-specific guidance; teak left untreated will grey naturally over time.
Can I buy from this site?
No. Premium Furniture is an independent editorial directory. We document the house and point you to the maker.