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Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Italian

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.

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Creator: Memphis Milano
D'Antibes Wooden Storage Cabinet, by George Sowden for Memphis Milano Collection
By George Sowden, Memphis Milano, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Designed in 1981 by George Sowden, The "D'Antibes" is a piece of storage furniture with long legs. Cabinet in lacquered wood silkscreened on the two sid...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Wood

Carlton Wood Miniature Bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Here you are shown an authentic and perfect reproduction of the Carlton bookcase, originally designed in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass. The vivid colors and...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Wood, Plastic

Suvretta Plastic Bookcase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Suvretta bookcase in plastic laminate was originally designed in 1981, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he graduated...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Plastic

Atlantic Chest of Drawers, by Michele De Lucchi for Memphis Milano Collection
By Michele de Lucchi, Memphis Milano
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
ATLANTIC Michele de Lucchi 1981 Cassettiera in legno rivestita in laminato decorativo, elementi in metallo e vetro. I cassetti di Atlantic sembrano delle stanze in miniatura che saranno abitate dai nostri ricordi, dai nostri vestiti e dai nostri oggetti che qui saranno custoditi; li potremo intravedere, come da una finestra, dalla superficie in vetro. Realizzata nel 1981 da Michele de Lucchi per Memphis...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Metal

Imperial Cabinet by Shiro Kuramata for Memphis Milano Collection
By Shiro Kuramata, Memphis Milano
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Imperial cabinet with internal shelf by Shiro Kuramata for Memphis Milano collection Available in silver, black and aubergine. In stock th...
Category

2010s Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Hardwood

Ginza Miniature Robot Cabinet by Masanori Umeda for Memphis Milano Collection
By Masanori Umeda, Memphis Milano
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Ginza Miniature robot cabinet by Masanori Umeda for Memphis Milano Additional information: Perfect 1:6 scale reproduction of the Ginza robot cabinet in...
Category

2010s Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Laminate

Post Modern Martine Bedin Memphis "Lodge" Bookcase/Cabinet, 1985
By Memphis Milano, Martine Bedin
Located in Madrid, ES
A rare post-modern bookcase/Cabinet designed by Martine Bedin and edited in the 80s by Memphis Milano. Laminate, wood and metal. Secret shelves and drawers. Excellent condition.
Category

1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Metal

'Carlton' Room Divider and Bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano, Italy
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in London, GB
Probably the most iconic of all Ettore Sottsass' designs, the colourful Carlton is half room divider, half bookcase and full size sculptural marvel. Des...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Post-Modern Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Laminate, Wood

Nikko Drawers in Metal and Wood by Shiro Kuramata for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Shiro Kuramata
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Nikko drawers in metal and wood by Shiro Kuramata for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: Drawers on metal structure, in wood and painted finish. Collection: Memph...
Category

2010s Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Metal

Castilian Bookcase by Aldo Cibic for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Aldo Cibic
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Castilian bookcase in plastic Laminate by Aldo Cibic for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: Bookcase in plastic laminate. ...
Category

2010s Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Plastic

Lodge Bookcase in Wood by Martine Bedin for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Martine Bedin
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Lodge bookcase with four drawers in wood by Martine Bedin for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: Bookcase with four drawers. Structure in in wood finished with pla...
Category

2010s Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Plastic

Malabar Sideboard by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Malabar sideboard with cupboard in plastic by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: Sideboard with cupboa...
Category

2010s Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Plastic

Gritti Bookcase, by Andrea Branzi for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Andrea Branzi, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Gritti bookcase in plastic laminate, wood, metal and glass. Designed in 1981, by Andrea Branzi. Andrea Branzi, architect and designer, born in Florence,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Metal

Ginza Wooden Robot by Umeda Masanori for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Masanori Umeda
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Ginza wooden robot with plastic laminate, shelves & drawers by Masanori Umeda for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: Wooden robot with ...
Category

2010s Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Plastic

Memphis 'Cappello' Bookcase by Susana Solano, Italy, 1989
By Memphis Milano
Located in Antwerp, BE
Metal shelving piece by artist Susana Solano, a limited edition gem from the iconic Meta Memphis collection in Italy, circa 1989. This exquisite bookcase shelving, produced in a limi...
Category

1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Iron

Beverly Wood Sideboard, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Beverly sideboard in wood and covered with plastic laminate and natural briar, plus a two-door container with shelf, was originally designed in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass for Memphi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Wood, Plastic

Casablanca Wood Cabinet, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Casablanca cabinet designed in 1981 for Memphis by Ettore Sottsass, in wood and plastic laminated colors. This is an unlimited edition with a number...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Wood, Plastic

Amazon Cabinet, by Marco Zanini for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Memphis Group, Marco Zanini
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Amazon Cabinet in reconstituted veneer and lacquered wood, was originally designed in 1985 by Marco Zanini for Memphis Milano. Marco Zanini was born in Trento in 1954. He gradu...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Wood

"Carlton" Shelf or Room Divider by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis, Italy, 1981
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Miami, FL
Ettore Sottsass Carlton Shelf, 1981, by Memphis Italy, room divider in very good condition. Iconic piece of contemporary Italian design, signed and numb...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Memphis Milano Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Laminate, Wood

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Italian Sottsass Post-Modern Brutalist Paul Evans Lift Chest
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'Suvretta' Bookcase, Ettore Sottsass for the 1st Memphis Milano Collection, 1981
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Located in Zagreb, HR
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Martine Bedin, 'Charlotte' Cabinet, Memphis Milano, Italy, 1987
By Memphis Milano, Martine Bedin
Located in Greding, DE
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Memphis Milano case pieces and storage cabinets for sale on 1stDibs.

Memphis Milano case pieces and storage cabinets are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Memphis Milano case pieces and storage cabinets, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 3 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 16 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original case pieces and storage cabinets by Memphis Milano were created in the modern style in italy during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider case pieces and storage cabinets by Cappellini, Arcahorn Srl., and Lodovico Acerbis. Prices for Memphis Milano case pieces and storage cabinets can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $821 and can go as high as $20,367, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $10,422.

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