Memphis design asked a simple question in 1981: why should furniture be serious?
Updated on: October 26, 2026
Clashing colors, patterned laminates, zigzags and toy-like shapes: Memphis design broke every rule of good taste, and that was the point. Led by the Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass, the movement turned furniture and objects into bold, joyful statements, and more than forty years later its influence is everywhere, from fashion to the pieces made by today’s independent studios.
This guide explains what Memphis design is, who Ettore Sottsass was, how to recognize the style, and how to bring it home with eight contemporary pieces in its spirit.
What is Memphis design?
Memphis design is the style of the Memphis Group, a collective of designers and architects founded in Milan in December 1980. Its first collection, shown during the 1981 Salone del Mobile, rejected the clean, functional modernism that dominated design at the time. Instead, Memphis drew on pop art, kitsch, 1950s diners and ancient architecture, and combined them in furniture, lamps, ceramics and textiles that were deliberately loud. The group took its name from a Bob Dylan song that was playing during that first meeting, and it disbanded in the late 1980s. For a full history, see Wallpaper*’s definitive guide to the Memphis design group.
Who was Ettore Sottsass?
Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007) was an Austrian-born Italian architect and designer, and the founder and best-known figure of Memphis. Before Memphis, he designed the bright red Valentine typewriter for Olivetti in 1969, worked extensively in ceramics and glass, and was part of Italy’s Radical Design movement, which questioned what design should be for. His Carlton bookcase, a totem of colored laminate shelves, became the icon of Memphis. Sottsass left the group in 1985 to focus on architecture, but his belief that objects should carry emotion and humor still shapes design today.
How to recognize the Memphis style
- Bold, clashing color: primary reds, blues and yellows next to pastels such as pink and mint; see ADORNO’s take on primary colors in design.
- Geometric shapes: circles, triangles, zigzags and stepped forms, often stacked or combined in unexpected ways.
- Graphic patterns: squiggles, dots and terrazzo-like prints, such as the famous Bacterio laminate.
- Cheap and precious materials together: plastic laminate beside marble, glass or lacquer.
- Humor and play: furniture that looks like toys, totems or architecture in miniature.
Today, this approach lives on in ADORNO’s radical and maximalist styles, and in our selection of maximalist decor.
Sottsass today: the Echo collection
Sottsass’s influence reaches well beyond furniture. In 2024, Istanbul jewelry studio By Way Of, founded by designer Oya Tekbulut, launched Echo on ADORNO: a collection that imagined a collaboration with Sottsass. Its Sottsass Ring echoed the stacked forms of his ceramic totems, the Totem Earrings turned his architecture into miniature, and the Marble Memories Necklace was made from childhood glass marbles. Handcrafted in sterling silver in the jewelry workshops around Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, the pieces showed how his mix of playfulness and rigor can translate to any scale. The Echo collection is no longer available, but it is a clear example of how Memphis ideas keep resurfacing in new forms, as ADORNO also explored in wearable art and collectible design.
8 pieces in the spirit of Memphis design
None of these are Memphis originals. Instead, they are contemporary pieces by independent studios that share its love of color, geometry and play. They are all available on ADORNO, each from a different studio, and range from a €99 lamp to a dining table with a maze inside.
Bold Shkam Chair – Yellow by SHAPE & SHADE
SHAPE & SHADE reinterprets the shkam, the stool found in almost every Albanian home, as a bold geometric chair. The zigzag back, diamond cutouts and saturated yellow would sit comfortably in a Memphis showroom of 1981. Notably, it is also the most accessible piece of furniture here.
By SHAPE & SHADE
€333 incl. tax
Puffer Vase Ii – Abs Plastic by Gast Studio
Dutch studio Gast Studio coats ABS plastic in glossy paint until the vase looks like an inflated puffer jacket. Like Memphis, it borrows from everyday objects and pop culture and takes them seriously as design. With 8 checkouts in the last 90 days, it is the most-ordered piece in this list.
By Gast Studio
€286 – €345 incl. tax
Kaila-I Side Table in Ribbed Glass by Yugen Lab
Turkish studio Yugen Lab sets ribbed glass panels vertically and horizontally, then prints the legs in a warm pink-to-orange gradient. The result is a maximalist side table that plays with transparency and color the way Memphis played with laminate. It has two sales on ADORNO.
By Yugen Lab
€1.050 incl. tax
Blue Moon Wall Lamp in Aluminum by Anne Nowak
Danish artist Anne Nowak shapes Blue Moon as a round aluminum relief in saturated cobalt. Switched off, it reads like a distant planet; lit, it glows like a nebula. One bold geometric form and one strong color, exactly the formula Memphis used.
By Anne Nowak
€1.675 incl. tax
Labyrinth Dining Table in Maple Wood and Glass by Benjamin Nordsmark
Danish designer Benjamin Nordsmark builds a maze in maple under the glass top, with six small figures you move from below using handles. At 180 × 120 cm (70.9 × 47.2 in), it is a dining table with a game inside it, and a reminder that furniture can be playful as well as practical.
By Benjamin Nordsmark
€9.000 incl. tax
Lightpulse Wall Lamp in Oak Wood and Acrylic by Studio Lampent
Studio Lampent sets a circle of orange light inside an oak box, and the ring only reveals its depth as you move around it. The piece won the Ung Svensk Form award in 2021. Its graphic geometry gives a quiet room a single bold focal point.
By Studio Lampent
€1.400 incl. tax
Lampamodelé Table Lamp in 3D Printed PLA by BehaghelFoiny Studio
French studio BehaghelFoiny sculpts Lampamodelé digitally and prints it in translucent PLA, so the ribs of the print become part of the decoration. Its mushroom shape and warm orange glow bring a dose of pop optimism to a shelf or bedside, at a very accessible price.
By BehaghelFoiny Studio
€99 incl. tax
Twist Stool by Yet Design Studio
Turkish Yet Design Studio sets a round seat on a coiled steel spring, so the stool moves as you sit. Available in seven colors, from yellow to ultramarine and lilac, it turns a functional object into something closer to a toy, very much in the Memphis spirit.
By Yet Design Studio
€1.200 incl. tax
How to decorate with Memphis style
Memphis works best in doses. Start with one statement piece, such as a colorful chair, a graphic lamp or a sculptural side table, and let it stand against a calm background of white or pale walls. Then repeat one of its colors in a smaller object elsewhere in the room so the scheme feels intentional. Mix shapes as well as colors: a round lamp next to an angular chair, or a curvy vase on a geometric table. Moreover, do not be afraid of humor; the best Memphis rooms make you smile. For a softer version, pair one bold piece with natural wood and textiles, as in our guide to butter yellow interiors.
Caring for colorful pieces
Bright finishes stay bright longer away from strong direct sunlight. Wipe painted, lacquered and plastic surfaces with a soft damp cloth and mild soap, and avoid abrasive cleaners that dull a gloss finish. Clean glass with a non-ammonia glass cleaner, and dust lamps when they are switched off and cool.
Frequently asked questions about Memphis design
What is Memphis design known for?
Bold colors, geometric shapes, graphic patterns and playful, often irreverent furniture and objects from the 1980s.
Who founded the Memphis Group?
Ettore Sottsass founded it in Milan in 1980, together with designers including Michele De Lucchi, Nathalie Du Pasquier, George Sowden, Martine Bedin, Aldo Cibic and Matteo Thun.
Why is it called Memphis?
The name came from Bob Dylan’s song “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again”, which was playing during the group’s first meeting. It also evokes the ancient Egyptian capital.
Is Memphis design postmodern?
Yes. Memphis is one of the defining movements of postmodern design, reacting against the strict functionalism of modernism.
What is Ettore Sottsass’s most famous design?
The Carlton bookcase from 1981 and the red Olivetti Valentine typewriter from 1969 are his best-known works.
How do I add Memphis style without overdoing it?
Choose one statement piece in a bold color or shape, keep the background calm, and repeat its color once elsewhere in the room.
Design that refuses to be serious
Memphis showed that design could be emotional, funny and provocative as well as useful. Consequently, its spirit lives on wherever a designer chooses color over caution and play over perfection.
