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.
Malabar Sideboard by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Malabar sideboard with cupboard in plastic by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: Sideboard with cupboa...
Plastic
Beverly Wood Sideboard, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass
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...
Wood, Plastic
$4,386 / set
H 9.85 in W 3.35 in D 2.17 in
Ettore Sottsass Seven Quattro Se Sunburst Brass Coat Wall Hooks, 1980s, Italy
By Ettore Sottsass, Sottsass Associati
Located in Biebergemund, Hessen
Beautiful and very rare Italian solid brass Quattro SE hooks designed by Ettore Sottsass for Valli & Valli in 1980s. In very nice vintage condition. Measures: H 9.85 in. x W 3...
Brass
Edward Wormley for Drexel Precedent Collection Sideboard
By Edward Wormley, Drexel
Located in St. Louis, MO
Mid-Century Modern Wormley for Drexel, his Precedent collection sideboard-buffet, originally designed in the late 1940s. Center drawers with end cabinet doors and interior shelves. P...
Elm
Suvretta Bookcase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Radomsko, Województwo łódzkie
“Suvretta” is a Romansh word (language spoken in Engadine) that means: “above the small forest”. Like rows of overlapping trees, the books placed on the green shelves of Suvretta tak...
Laminate, Wood, Plywood, Scrap Wood
$2,015
H 25.99 in W 59.06 in D 17.72 in
Italian burgundy metal sideboard Synthesis 45 Ettore Sottsass Olivetti, 1970s
By Olivetti, Ettore Sottsass
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian burgundy metal sideboard Synthesis 45 by Ettore Sottsass for Olivetti, 1970s Sideboard from the Synthesis 45 series in laminate and metal. The rectangular white laminate top ...
Metal
$2,667
H 70.87 in W 14.18 in D 13 in
Ettore Sottsass Inspired Italian Ash Wood and Travertine Coat Stand
Located in Weesp, NL
Sculptural Mid-Century Modern Italian Ettore Sottsas inspired coat stand made of Ash wood with a travertine base. This 1970's beauty is in great condition as can be seen in the image...
Travertine
Travertine & ash wood coat rack by Ettore Sottsass, 1970s
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Hilversum, NL
Very elegant 70s coat stand made of solid ash wood. Upper part is rotatable, the pedestal is made of beautiful, matching Tavertin stone. In good condition. F...
Travertine
$12,500 / set
H 42.5 in W 40.5 in D 84.75 in
Ettore Sottsass & Marco Zanini for Leitner Donau Collection Bed and Nightstand
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group, Marco Zanini, Memphis Milano
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and iconic Italian post-modern Donau Collection bed and matching nightstand designed by master architect and furniture designer Ettore Sottsass (Austria/Italy, 1917-2007) in collaboration with Marco Zanini (Milan, Italy; b.1971) for Leitner Interior Design, circa 1988. Scarce design, bold and dramatic, sculptural-form, exceptionally executed in bird’s-eye maple lacquered and laminated wood, including blue accents and columns that offer a visually striking contrast. Retaining the original manufacturer's label, signed, 195/88. Provenance / Acquisition: Acquired from highly reputable auction house Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas. Design Signature Auction catalog #8110 Dimensions: (approx) Bed: (Twin XL...
Laminate, Wood
$3,900 / item
H 23.63 in W 78.75 in D 18.51 in
Large walnut sideboard with three doors, Ettore Sottsass veneer
Located in SULECHÓW, -
Walnut sideboard with three doors overlaid with Ettore Sottsass veneer in Mid Century Modern style. Perfect as a sideboard, buffet, TV stand, record pl...
Walnut
$829
H 25.99 in W 49.61 in D 18.12 in
Italian orange metal sideboard Synthesis 45 Ettore Sottsass for Olivetti 1970s
By Ettore Sottsass, Olivetti
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian orange sideboard Synthesis 45 by Ettore Sottsass for Olivetti, 1970s Sideboard from the Synthesis 45 series in laminate and metal. The rectangular white laminate top has a ro...
Metal
$36,500
H 29.93 in W 69.69 in D 18.12 in
Ettore Sottsass MS180 Palisander Sideboard for Poltronova, Italy, 1964
By Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Almelo, NL
Rare and important Italian mid-century modern sideboard model MS180, designed by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova and produced in Italy in 1964. This highly collectible documented mode...
Brass
$10,252Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 25.2 in W 72.84 in D 19.69 in
21st Century Mon Ohh Sideboard Monochromatic Lacquered Wood by Malabar
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
The Malabar creative designers give a modern touch to ancient concepts and conceived the eye-catching Mon Ooh sideboard. Highlighting the collision between Fine Art, handcraft, and d...
Marble
$3,500
H 90 in W 90 in D 0.5 in
Post-Modern Room Screen in the Style of Memphis Milano by Nando Vincenzini
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Make a bold statement in any space with this incredibly unique monumental room divider. This thoroughly post-modern art work was hand crafted in 1988 by the artist Nando Vincenzini a...
Metal, Brass
Martine Bedin, 'Charlotte' Cabinet, Memphis Milano, Italy, 1987
By Martine Bedin, Memphis Milano
Located in Greding, DE
Large design furniture designed by Martine Bedin for Memphis Milano in 1987. The "Charlotte" cabinet consists of (semi-)cylindrical forms that open to reveal a multitude of drawers a...
Plywood, Burl
Charlotte Cabinet by Martine Bedin for Memhis, Milano, 1987
By Martine Bedin, Memphis Milano
Located in Kansas City, MO
Early, original Charlotte cabinet designed by Marine Bedin for the Memphis Group, Milan, 1987. Multiple colors of red, brown, gray, black and blonde utilizing Birdseye maple veneer, ...
Wood, Birdseye Maple, Maple