A New Spotlight Series - Memphis Milano
A mini dive on all things Memphis and a few fun finds for the home.
Oh look! We’re over half way into January! We’re doing it people, we’re doing it!
Yes it’s still cold. And bleak. And darrrrk. And is it fair to say, also boring?! I think so. Eesh, coming in hot this week. I apologize. And quite frankly, we don’t need reminding. So let’s go about remedying it, shall we? What better way to lift our spirits than to take a tour of some particularly excellent design periods that celebrated color and see how we can take influence from them to inject some vibrancy into our spaces.
We’re kicking this series off with the Memphis Design Movement. It’s equal parts wonderful and wacky and I think it’s earned its place in design history by really going for it. And I mean, really going for it. This particular movement really embraced the magic of exuberant, maximalist color.
Let’s take a swift trip back to the 80s to break it right down. Despite what you might think, The Memphis Design movement was actually born in Milan, Italy and not Memphis, Tennessee as the name would have you believe. Legend has it that there was a Bob Dylan song playing during the group’s first meeting and it inspired the Memphis nomenclature. Here’s a shot of the group’s founders having a rollicking ole time of it in ‘boxing ring bed’ by Masanori Umeda.
The movement lasted just 7 years or so before the 90s came roaring in with its own take, which, let’s be honest, is really never going to be worth revisiting.
The basic design elements of Memphis design include color (and lots of it!) geometric shapes, color blocking and ‘edgy’ furniture that was really designed from the ground up. You’re likely familiar with the Carlton room divider which I have to say, still works for me.
I love how invested these architects and designers were in the notion of doing something different, fantastical, radical. Big and bold and rebellious against the modernism that had come before. I’m not sure that a single one of them cared about whether or not it was timeless or whether they’d still like it in 3 years, let alone 30. Embracers of this style did it all. All the things, all the time. No pops of color or carefully curated color palettes for these enthusiasts. Nope! Just whack it all on, in and over!
Memphis design has always been a bit Marmite. You either love it or you hate it. I kinda love it. Which is probably pretty obvious. You know who else loved it? The set designers on Saved By The Bell. Ahh, the memories.
Despite it’s short period in time, Memphis design lives on! It continues to be a source of inspiration for artists and designers alike, from Camille Walala
to Sasha Bikoff’s staircase for the Kips Bay Showhouse.
And just in case you think you’d like to seriously invest in a little Memphis style for your home, here are a few fun pieces to look out for.
Century Sofa 2. Display Cabinet 3. Teapot 4. Lamp 5. Chair 6. Bench
and some slightly more affordable finds on Etsy…
I hope you enjoyed this mini dive into the world of Memphis design, it’s been a fun one to write it up!
In other Color related news, I’m hanging on by a thread in this self imposed Dopamine Dressing Challenge… I’m on day 12 and some days have been easier than others, that’s for sure. I’ve had some lovely DMs from my gorge instagram community, but it’s still weird for me to put myself out there ever single day… not my usual thing! Going to keep on keeping on though, and it is the mood booster I was hoping it would be, so there’s that! Come follow along if you’re not already. Note to self, fewer black jeans days next week.