AG2 Woollen Carpet by Anna Gili for Post Design Collection/Memphis

Anna Gili shows the world just how playful furniture design can be. Working with ceramics, Murano glass and a range of fabrics in the creation of her carpets, side tables, vases and other furnishings and objects, Gili demonstrates an academic mastery over her craft as well as copious natural artistic sensibilities. Her bold use of color and dazzling patterns has earned her an unshakable reputation for ingenuity and originality.

When Gili came onto the design scene in 1983, she was gripped by the energy of the Italian avant-garde movement. It gave her the freedom to explore the conventional limits of furniture design and would inspire her to incorporate art and architecture into the creation of her own furnishings, interior projects and decorative objects. Gili graduated from the Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche in Florence in 1984. It was the era of Memphis and loud, extroverted design, and her thesis project garnered attention from some of the day's postmodern influencers. She was invited to exhibit alongside Ettore Sottsass, Tobia Scarpa and others at the 1985 Triennale di Milano. In 1989, Gili moved from Florence to Milan and opened a studio.

Gili’s work often features human, plant and animal forms, and sometimes her designs feel as though they might come to life at any moment. At the same time, she uses exaggerated shapes and colors that lend the pieces a whimsical, dreamlike quality. She has been a prominent figure in the Italian furniture world for decades, and in fact, she inspired the design of Alessi’s iconic Anna G. corkscrews created by Alessandro Mendini, a legendary Milanese designer and friend of Gili’s. 

Over the years, the Anna Gili Design Studio has amassed an esteemed list of partners. Her furnishings and decor have appeared in the collections of Alessi, Cassina, Swarovski, CVM, Salviati, Trend Mosaic and many others.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Anna Gili rugs, tables, decorative objects and more.

Trends are cyclical, and even the ones that distinguish an era find a way of returning back in vogue. Memphis Groups design's are a perfect example of how a movement that had top praise during the 80s, could once again regain its admiration in present day 2020. Memphis Milano is the powerful 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.