Style at a Glance: Memphis
In 1981 the group of Italian designers “Memphis”, founded by Ettore Sottsass, presented its works to the public for the first time on Salone del Mobile in Milan. The result was a highly acclaimed debut: the streets were flooded with people who wanted to see what the group has called “The New International Style”.
Sottsass and his collaborators wanted to call themselves from what is considered a “good taste” in design – smart but soulless. They tried to separate object from its function. In other words the table has to have four legs, but nobody says that those legs need to be the same. The objects created by the group were witty, unusual and bold. Sometimes even shocking:
Designers often incorporated unconventional materials, such as flashily coloured plastic laminate, printed glass, celluloids, neon tubes. They searched inspiration from such movements as Art Deco and Pop Art.
The work of Memphis has been described as “bold and striking”, yet very little about its designs was truly innovative – many ideas were developed before in Alchimia studio, where Sottsass has worked previously. However he was able to use smartly his connections in popularisation of new movement, for example, he persuaded Artemide, the Italian lighting manufacturer to work with them.
Many famous people became huge fans of the new style: Karl Lagerfeld has decorated his Monte Carlo apartment entirely with Memphis:
Finally in 1985 Sottsass has left the group which was disbanded after in 1988. Despite its short life Memphis had a great impact on the design development and continues to be a source of inspiration for many architects and designers even today.
Below are several examples of cool interiors decorated in Memphis style:
What do you think about this movement? Do you like this style and is it something you would consider to bring to your own home?
Want to learn more about various interior styles? Check my “HISTORY OF STYLES” book:
