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.
Tartar Table, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Tartar Table in laminated wood was originally designed in 1985, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano. Ettore Sottsass was born in ...
Wood
Freemont Gilded Wood Console, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Group, Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Freemont gilded wood console in wood, plastic laminate and aluminum. Designed in 1985, by Ettore Sottsass. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck i...
Wood, Plastic
Royal Couch by Nathalie du Pasquier for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Nathalie du Pasquier
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Royal coach by Nathalie du Pasquier for Memphis Milano collection Coach in plastic laminate and cotton fabric. The cushion and armrest fabric designed ...
Plastic
Martine Bedin "Lodge" Luxury Italian Postmodern Console Table for Memphis Milano
By Martine Bedin, Memphis Milano
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
The Concept & Inspiration Designed by Martine Bedin in 1982 for Memphis Milano, the "Lodge" console table is a bold reimagining of classical furniture forms. Driven by her recurring ...
Wood
Amazon Cabinet, by Marco Zanini for Memphis Milano Collection
By Marco Zanini, Memphis Group, Memphis Milano
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...
Wood
Memphis Milano "Tartar" Postmodern Console Table by Ettore Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
The Concept & Inspiration Designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1985 for Memphis Milano, the "Tartar" console table is a striking embodiment of the evolving Postmodern design movement. Movi...
Laminate, Wood
Schwarzenberg Console Table By Hans Hollein for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Hans Hollein
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
SCHWARZENBERG Hans Hollein 1981 Console in lacquered wood, glazed with gold leaf and covered with natural wood essence. Schwarzenberg, designed by Hans Hollein, winner of the Pritzker Prize (the “Nobel of architecture”), is astonishing due to its unusual form. The console with its slim pieces becomes immaterial, an idea, an abstraction. The constant interplay between functional performance and its denial through a disembodied presence have made this item a Memphis icon. First produced in 1981, Schwarzenberg is an inimitable console in lacquered wood glazed in gold leaf and covered with natural wood. The fulcrum of the design is the stepped top clad in pink briar, resting on slender cylindrical legs, which in turn rest on the black curves of the base. There is a very strong reference to the Austrian culture of the Secession; the materials, colors and forms link back to the great Viennese masters. As in the other objects produced by the Memphis group, the title is no coincidence. The console by Hans Hollein the only piece he created for Memphis was called Schwarzenberg in honor of the historic French...
Gold Leaf
Memphis Milano "Schwarzenberg" Wooden Console table by Hans Hollein
By Hans Hollein, Memphis Milano
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
The Concept & Inspiration Designed by Hans Hollein in 1981 for Memphis Milano, the "Schwarzenberg" console astounds with its highly unusual shape. Featuring extraordinarily light pro...
Wood, Lacquer
Memphis Milano "Imperial" Prune Secretaire / Console table by Shiro Kuramata
By Shiro Kuramata, Memphis Milano
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
The Concept & Inspiration Designed by Shiro Kuramata in 1981 for the foundational collection of Memphis Milano, the "Imperial" secretaire is a surreal, minimal, and deeply poetic pie...
Wood
Memphis Milano "Imperial" Silver Secretaire / Console table by Shiro Kuramata
By Memphis Milano, Shiro Kuramata
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
The Concept & Inspiration Designed by Shiro Kuramata in 1981 for the foundational collection of Memphis Milano, the "Imperial" secretaire is a surreal, minimal, and deeply poetic pie...
Wood
Memphis Milano "Imperial" Black Secretaire / Console table by Shiro Kuramata
By Shiro Kuramata, Memphis Milano
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
The Concept & Inspiration Designed by Shiro Kuramata in 1981 for the foundational collection of Memphis Milano, the "Imperial" secretaire is a surreal, minimal, and deeply poetic...
Wood
$2,297 / set
H 32.68 in W 35.44 in D 12.41 in
Postmodern Ivory Lacquered Walnut Wall Mirror and Console Table, Italy
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1970s. This set features a walnut frame, with ivory lacquered parts. They might show slight traces of use since they are vintage, such as their original patina, but t...
Mirror, Walnut
$2,810 / item
H 15.75 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Cream End Table by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Cream end table in plastic laminate by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: End tabl...
Plastic
$3,100 / item
H 16.54 in W 16.54 in D 16.54 in
Mimosa End Table with Glass Top, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Mimosa end table in plastic laminate with glass top, designed in 1984, by Ettore Sottsass. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he graduated in architecture at the...
Glass, Plastic
$4,630 / item
H 16.54 in Dm 16.93 in
Hyatt Metal and Wood Table, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Hyatt table designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1984 for Memphis, in metal and laminated wood. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he gradu...
Metal
$3,600
H 16.75 in Dm 15.75 in
Ettore Sottsass Lipari Side Table Zanotta Italy 1992 Postmodern Memphis Design
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A postmodern “Lipari” side table designed by Ettore Sottsass for Zanotta, Italy 1992. Original label adhered on underside. Silk-screened laminate top on beech wood with an anthracite...
Laminate, Wood
$3,480 / item
H 31.5 in W 31.5 in D 16.93 in
Manhattan Trolley by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Manhattan trolley in metal and glass by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: Trolley in metal and colour...
Metal
Kaizo Oto for Dia Postmodern Memphis Style Console Table
By Design Institute America, Kaizo Oto
Located in Miami, FL
Steel, brass, chrome and glass console table in the Memphis style by Kaizo Oto for Design Institute of America. Glass is 3/4”.
Steel, Chrome
Memphis Milano Freemont Cabinet by Ettore Sottsass, Italy
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Toronto, ON
Resting on a base with five cylindrical legs, Freemont by Ettore Sottsass appears to grow strongly from the bottom to the top. With its fractured shapes, it branches out into the spa...
Gold Leaf
$11,680 / item
H 18.9 in Dm 5.91 in
Alcor Glass Vase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Alcor Glass Vase was designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1983 for Memphis. Signed on the base. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he graduated in architecture at...
Glass
$9,870 / item
H 23.75 in W 76 in D 20.75 in
GAULTIER MEDIA CREDENZA - Modern Geometric Cabinet in White Lacquer
By Susan Hornbeak-Ortiz
Located in Laguna Niguel, CA
GAULTIER MEDIA CREDENZA - Modern Geometric Cabinet in White Lacquer The Gaultier Media Credenza is a stylish and functional piece of furniture designed...
Lacquer
$7,467 / item
H 30.71 in W 19.69 in D 47.25 in
Made-to-Order Sculptural Solid Stone Desk / Console Reminiscent Ettore Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Amsterdam, Holland
This multipurpose console desk is defined by two wave-shaped stone feet, giving the piece its sculptural and architectural presence. With a strong eye for proportion, form, and colo...
Stone, Marble, Travertine, Limestone
$4,800
H 28 in W 50 in D 16.13 in
Vintage 1980s Postmodern Console Table Bullnose Pedestal Table Memphis Style
By Milo Baughman, Maitland Smith, Karl Springer, Aldo Tura, Marge Carson
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Vintage 1980s Postmodern bullnose pedestal console table, professionally restored in ALPI Agreste Prata veneer. A striking example of 1980s Postmodern design, this sculptural console...
Wood
"Waves" Console, Sculpture, Cabinet by Jacques Jarrige
By Jacques Jarrige
Located in New York, NY
Waves is a unique hybrid work by Jacques Jarrige—at once console, cabinet, and sculpture. Here, Jarrige merges functionality with poetic gesture, using the visual vocabulary of his a...
Wood
$396Sale Price|20% Off
H 28 in W 52 in D 18 in
Postmodern Italian-Style Black Lacquer Console Table with Wood Inlay
Located in Trenton, NJ
This console table is a compelling example of Postmodern design, characterized by its faceted, geometrically canted tabletop edges and dramatically curved, sculptural legs — a marked...
Wood
$7,030 / item
H 39.38 in Dm 18.9 in
Ivory Side Table, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Group, Memphis Milano, Shiro Kuramata
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Ivory side table has a beautiful contrasting laminate pattern, designed in 1984 by Ettore Sottsass. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 191...
Glass, Plastic