Emerald Side Table, by Nathalie du Pasquier for Memphis Milano Collection
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 74.81 in (190 cm)Width: 39.38 in (100 cm)Depth: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Style:Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Contemporary
- Production Type:New & Custom(Current Production)
- Estimated Production Time:15-16 weeks
- Condition:
- Seller Location:La Morra, IT
- Reference Number:
Memphis Group
To many people, postmodern design is synonymous with the Memphis Group. This Italian collaborative created the most radical and attention-getting designs of the period, upending most of the accepted standards of how furniture should look.
The Memphis story begins in 1980, when Ettore Sottsass, then a beacon of Italian postmodernism, tapped a coterie of younger designers to develop a collection for the Milan Furniture Fair the next year, determined that all the new furniture they were then seeing was boring. Their mission: Boldly reject the stark minimalism of the 1970s and shatter the rules of form and function. (Sottsass’s Ultrafragola mirror, designed in 1970, embodied many of what would become the collective’s postmodern ideals.)
The group decided to design, produce and market their own collection, one that wouldn’t be restricted by concerns like functionality and so-called good taste. Its debut, at Milan’s 1981 Salone del Mobile, drew thousands of viewers and caused a major stir in design circles.
So as a record of Bob Dylan’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile” played on repeat, they took their name from the song, devised their marketing strategy and plotted the postmodern look that would come to define the decade of excess — primary colors, blown-up proportions, playful nods to Art Deco and Pop art. A high-low mix of materials also helped define Memphis, as evidenced by Javier Mariscal’s pastel serving trays, which feature laminate veneer — a material previously used only in kitchens — as well as Shiro Kuramata’s Nara and Kyoto tables made from colored glass-infused terrazzo.
An image of Sottsass posing with his collaborators in a conversation pit shaped like a boxing ring appeared in magazines all over the world, and Karl Lagerfield furnished his Monte Carlo penthouse entirely in Memphis furniture. Meanwhile, members like Andrea Branzi, Aldo Cibic, Michele de Lucchi, Nathalie du Pasquier, Kuramata, Paola Navone, Peter Shire, George Sowden, Sottsass and his wife, journalist Barbara Radice, went on to enjoy fruitful careers.
Some people think of the Milan-based collective as the design equivalent to Patrick Nagel’s kitschy screenprints, but for others Memphis represents what made the early 1980s so great: freedom of expression, dizzying patterns and off-the-wall colors.
Eventually, the Reagan era gave way to cool 1990s minimalism, and Memphis fell out of fashion. Sottsass left the group in 1985, and by 1987, it had disbanded. Yet decades later, Memphis is back and can be traced to today’s most exciting designers.
“As someone who was born in the 1980s, Memphis at times feels like the grown-up, artsy version of the toys I used to play with,” says Shaun Kasperbauer, cofounder of the Brooklyn studio Souda. “It feels a little nostalgic, but at the same time it seems like an aesthetic that’s perfectly suited to an internet age — loud, colorful and utilizing forms that are graphic and often a little unexpected.”
Find a collection of vintage Memphis Group seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Memphis Milano
To many people, postmodern design is synonymous with the Memphis Group. This Italian collaborative created the most radical and attention-getting designs of the period, upending most of the accepted standards of how furniture should look. Today, the Memphis Milano brand, which is managed by Alberto Bianchi Albrici, still produces designs created by the group between 1981 and 1988.
The Memphis story begins in 1980, when Ettore Sottsass, then a beacon of Italian postmodernism, tapped a coterie of younger designers to develop a collection for the Milan Furniture Fair the next year, determined that all the new furniture they were then seeing was boring. Their mission: Boldly reject the stark minimalism of the 1970s and shatter the rules of form and function. (Sottsass’s Ultrafragola mirror, designed in 1970, embodied many of what would become the collective’s postmodern ideals.)
The group decided to design, produce and market their own collection, one that wouldn’t be restricted by concerns like functionality and so-called good taste. Its debut, at Milan’s 1981 Salone del Mobile, drew thousands of viewers and caused a major stir in design circles.
So as a record of Bob Dylan’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile” played on repeat, they took their name from the song, devised their marketing strategy and plotted the postmodern look that would come to define the decade of excess — primary colors, blown-up proportions, playful nods to Art Deco and Pop art. A high-low mix of materials also helped define Memphis, as evidenced by Javier Mariscal’s pastel serving trays, which feature laminate veneer — a material previously used only in kitchens — as well as Shiro Kuramata’s Nara and Kyoto tables made from colored glass-infused terrazzo.
An image of Sottsass posing with his collaborators in a conversation pit shaped like a boxing ring appeared in magazines all over the world, and Karl Lagerfield furnished his Monte Carlo penthouse entirely in Memphis furniture. Meanwhile, members like Andrea Branzi, Aldo Cibic, Michele de Lucchi, Nathalie du Pasquier, Kuramata, Paola Navone, Peter Shire, George Sowden, Sottsass and his wife, journalist Barbara Radice, went on to enjoy fruitful careers.
Some people think of the Milan-based collective as the design equivalent to Patrick Nagel’s kitschy screenprints, but for others Memphis represents what made the early 1980s so great: freedom of expression, dizzying patterns and off-the-wall colors.
Eventually, the Reagan era gave way to cool 1990s minimalism, and Memphis fell out of fashion. Sottsass left the group in 1985, and by 1987, it had disbanded. Yet decades later, Memphis is back and can be traced to today’s most exciting designers.
“As someone who was born in the 1980s, Memphis at times feels like the grown-up, artsy version of the toys I used to play with,” says Shaun Kasperbauer, cofounder of the Brooklyn studio Souda. “It feels a little nostalgic, but at the same time it seems like an aesthetic that’s perfectly suited to an internet age — loud, colorful and utilizing forms that are graphic and often a little unexpected.”
Find a collection of Memphis Milano seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: La Morra, Italy
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Bombay Side Table, by Nathalie du Pasquier, from Memphis MilanoBy Memphis Milano, Nathalie du Pasquier, Memphis GroupLocated in La Morra, CuneoThe Bombay side table has a beautiful contrasting laminate pattern top, designed in 1986 by Nathalie du Pasquier. Nathalie du Pasquier was born in ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsLaminate
- Madras Table, by Nathalie du Pasquier, from Memphis MilanoBy Memphis Milano, Nathalie du Pasquier, Memphis GroupLocated in La Morra, CuneoThe Madras table has a beautiful contrasting laminate pattern top, designed in 1986 by Nathalie du Pasquier. Nathalie du Pasquier was born in Bordeaux...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsLaminate
- Royal Couch by Nathalie du Pasquier for Memphis Milano CollectionBy Memphis Milano, Nathalie du PasquierLocated in La Morra, CuneoRoyal coach by Nathalie du Pasquier for Memphis Milano collection Coach in plastic laminate and cotton fabric. The cushion and armrest fabric designed ...Category
2010s Console Tables
MaterialsPlastic
- Arizona Woolen Carpet, by Nathalie Du Pasquier from Memphis MilanoBy Memphis Milano, Nathalie du Pasquier, Memphis GroupLocated in La Morra, CuneoThe Arizona handwoven wool carpet, was originally designed in 1983 by Nathalie Du Pasquier for Memphis Milano. Nathalie du Pasquier was born in Bordeaux, France, in 1957. She has lived and worked in Milano since 1979. Until 1986 she worked as a designer and was a founder member of Memphis for which she designed many textiles, carpets, furniture and objects. When the group broke up in 87, painting became her main activity. Memphis is the great cultural phenomenon of the 1980s that revolutionized creative and commercial logics in design. Born from the idea of Ettore Sottsass and a group of young designers and architects, in Milan, coupled in the years by famous designers from the international scene, Memphis turned upside down all of the existing parameters on living. Ettore Sottsass as the backbone of the group, design gained a new concept and expression through new shapes, materials and patterns, expanding the creative limits of the industry. Memphis became a symbol of New Design. Its influence is still clear in various sectors of production and beyond. Additional info: - Dimensions: W 98.5, D 70.25 inches - Materials: Wool - Pricing: Prices do not include VAT. - Purchased products are shipped with forms of authenticity by Memphis Milano. Carpets and Rugs as well, contain a sewed on...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Carpets
MaterialsWool
- California Woolen Carpet by Nathalie Du Pasquier from Memphis MilanoBy Memphis Milano, Nathalie du Pasquier, Memphis GroupLocated in La Morra, CuneoThe California hand woven wool carpet was originally designed in 1983 by Nathalie Du Pasquier for Memphis Milano. Nathalie du Pasquier was born in Bordeaux, France, in 1957. She has lived and worked in Milano since 1979. Until 1986 she worked as a designer and was a founder member of Memphis for which she designed many textiles, carpets, furniture and objects. When the group broke up in 87, painting became her main activity. Memphis is the great cultural phenomenon of the 1980s that revolutionized creative and commercial logics in design. Born from the idea of Ettore Sottsass and a group of young designers and architects, in Milan, coupled in the years by famous designers from the international scene, Memphis turned upside down all of the existing parameters on living. Ettore Sottsass as the backbone of the group, design gained a new concept and expression through new shapes, materials and patterns, expanding the creative limits of the industry. Memphis became a symbol of New Design. Its influence is still clear in various sectors of production and beyond. Additional info: - Dimensions: W 98.5, D 70.25 inches - Materials: Wool - Pricing: Prices do not include VAT. - Purchased products are shipped with forms of authenticity by Memphis Milano. Carpets and Rugs as well, contain a sewed on...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Carpets
MaterialsWool
- Cauliflower Fruit Bowl, by Nathalie du Pasquier from Memphis MilanoBy Memphis Milano, Nathalie du Pasquier, Memphis GroupLocated in La Morra, CuneoThe Cauliflower ceramic fruit bowl was originally designed in 1985 for Memphis Milano by the ingenious pattern designer of the Memphis Group, Nathalie du Pasquier. Enthusiastic, expl...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serving Bowls
MaterialsCeramic
- Kyoto Side Table by Shiro Kumarata - Memphis MilanoBy Memphis MilanoLocated in Milan, ITDesigned by Shiro Kumarata for Memphis, this charming and eclectic side table is a stunning addition to a monochromatic living room, where it will...Category
2010s Italian Side Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Charming English Pine Side Table or Dressing TableLocated in Buchanan, MIEnglish pine side table or dressing table with single drawer.Category
Antique 19th Century British Regency Side Tables
MaterialsPine
- Memphis Style Side Table, circa 1980sBy Peter Shire, Memphis GroupLocated in Palm Springs, CAA fun and whimsical Memphis style side table in the manner of Peter Shire. This table consist of painted steel with a 23.5" round 1/2" thick...Category
Vintage 1980s Unknown Modern Side Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Regency Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Side TableLocated in Stamford, CTA very fine Continental Regency period mahogany lift-top dressing table with high quality bronze dore legs and mounts. The columns with capitals decorated with palm leaves and papyrus flowers...Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Regency Side Tables
MaterialsMahogany
- Napoleon III Side Table, France, 1860-1870Located in Belmont, MANapoleon III side table, France, 1860-1870. This unusual Napoleon III side table has an exquisite kingwood veneer and marquetry. Parts of the outside are ebonized and the top has a c...Category
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Side Tables
MaterialsKingwood
- French Louis XV Style Marquetry Side TableLocated in Winter Park, FLA Louis XV style French marquetry side table made of inlaid veneer of mahogany. Open niche in front and finished back. White marble top with polished bronze gallery. Elegant slender ...Category
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Side Tables
MaterialsMarble, Bronze