MEMPHIS DESIGN: GROUNDBREAKING, AWESOME & RIGHT UP MY STREET
What is ‘good taste’ and who decides it? Generally speaking, the magazines we read, the influencers we follow and the media informs us what’s on the catwalk, therefore what’s in, or coming into the shops. So we’re fairly dictated to by trends whether we know it or not, quite simply because that’s what’s currently available to buy. But what if my good taste is your bad taste, and vice versa? What if we just can’t all stomach the same thing? What if we go against the trends and think about the things that really float our boat, make our heart sing and resonate with our authenticity?
My love for Memphis Design all started when I fist laid eyes on the out of this world Ultrafragola pink neon mirror a number of years ago by Ettore Sottsass. Its certainly not a design you come across every day is it? Look at it closely, do you like it? How does it make you feel?
Ettore Sottsass - Ultrafragola Italian Mirror
The Ultrafragola mirror was designed by Italian architect Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova in 1970, and this wavy-edged, six-foot-tall, pink-neon-lit mirror is still produced in Florence based on its original mould today. The wavy resin frame conceals the inner neon tubes that when turned on glows pink and when off stands white, measuring an impressive 195 (h) x 100 (w) x 13 (d) cm.
Over a decade later in 1981, Ettore Sottsass founded the Memphis Group with fellow designers and architects who shared the same wavelength in terms of taste. Sadly no, the name wasn’t inspired by Elvis Presley, but the Bob Dylan song called ‘Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again’ that was playing on repeat during the first meeting of the Memphis group in Milan (not Tennessee!)
Kartell's flagship store tribute - Image: Creative Bloq
It’s thought that Memphis movement was a reaction to the styles of the time - the 1950s/60s mid-century modern and 1970s were at the time, classed as minimal, respectable and for the masses. Sottsass and his group’s way of thinking was about challenging what these masses deemed as ‘good taste’ and instead favoured the “radical, funny, and outrageous”, taking inspiration from Art Deco, Pop Art and the Kitsch aesthetic. Colour blocking with brights and pastels, squiggly lines and the use of coloured geometric shapes became the building blocks of the Memphis look, and I absolutely love it.
If you know a tiny bit of Italian, you’ll realise that the word Ultrafrogola literally translates to ‘ultimate strawberry’… which in fact, refers to a particular (pink!) female body part. The curvaceous, voluptuous shape of the mirror pays homage to women and femininity, but with a huge dose of fun and play.
When the light is off, the frame stays white. Alex Eagle Studio - Image: Oscar Piccolo
The mirror found its way into the homes and hearts of various influentials and became a real icon of the postmodern era, endorsed by designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Alex Eagle, Louis Vuitton’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière, Opening Ceremony’s Heather Neuburger, rapper Frank Ocean, Raquel Cayre and Bella Hadid - quite the CV.
Raquel Cayre’s apartment. Image: Bobby Doherty - New York Magazine
Sadly, I’ve not experienced the mirror in real life 3D as yet, only through photos. Alex Eagle says “It’s a really good cheer-you-up mirror because the soft pink light it emits flushes your skin out in a flattering way. It’s fabulous.” If that lotto win comes in, yes I would part with (in the region of) £6-8,000 (I know!) but before then, I have a house to buy, so I’ll have to keep dreaming.
This is what I find interesting about the idea of taste, designers like Ettore Sottsass were bold enough to challenge the status quo and develop their ideas based on going against the trends of the time, hence inspiring the idea for this mirror and carving out a different way of thinking and in turn developed a brand new aesthetic. I think we should all be more Ettore Sottsass and do our own thing!
David Bowie’s Memphis designs. Image: Creative Bloq. David Bowie’s estate auctioned his art collection at Sotheby’s, he had collected over 400 pieces since he first met Ettore in the ’80s.
The Untrafragola mirror, along with other Memphis designs went on to inspire designers with a similar view to Ettore, creating more products in this style and many of which are a fraction of the price. A modern designer that I follow and admire, Camille Walala (who graduated in Textiles in 2009) uses the core elements of Memphis Design her work today, which you’ll find gracing urban landscapes; buildings, streets, the Salt Boutique Hotel (in Mauritius) as well as her own textiles. It’s so good to see that this adventurous and exciting style is being kept alive by those who are all about vibrancy and bold expression. If by any chance you haven’t seen the work of Camille, check out her work NOW by clicking on the above link, you’ll be blown away!
Camille Walala’s first architectural collaboration - Salt Boutique Hotel. Image: camillewalala.com
It’s not all about purchasing actual products either, look at what Camille creates just using paint and colour, stripes and shapes. Think of some ideas for those tester pots you have at home and show your walls some geometric action.
I’ve put together these Memphis inspired items to reach out to the part of you, that like me, likes a bit of that beguiling ‘bad taste’, or in my opinion damn right fabulous. Image what the world would be like if we all had “good taste”…
Shopping List
Kartell Only Me Mirror - Fuchsia - 50x50cm
Pilastro Stool - By Ettore Sottsass - Kartell - Made In Design
Dotted vase - Amara
Buzz vase - Habitat
Kartell - Square Toothbrush Holder - Aquamarine Green - Amara
Tall glass vase green - H&M
Franz light - Made
Kartell - Upper Step Ladder - Cobalt - Amara
Ultrafragola mirror - Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova
Vetro light - Made
Velvet dash cushion - Heals
NatGeo cushion - Kirkby
Build Cushion Multi - John Lewis
Kolho Spectrum Green chair - Made by choice
Alaia floor lamp - Made
