Colour Outside the Lines with Memphis Milano

It’s Milan-archy in the design world! Explore playful patterns, unusual geometries and striking colours with rule-breaker Memphis Milano.

Images courtesy of Memphis Milano

About Memphis Milano

Memphis Milano is an iconic Italian design brand born from the Memphis Group, a radical collective founded by Ettore Sottsass in 1981. A disruptive aesthetic, between kitsch and elegance, it challenged the dominant minimalist and functionalist design ethos of its time by embracing bold colours, playful patterns, unusual geometries and a mix of materials. Featuring furniture, furnishings, lighting and decor, the brand continues producing original pieces from the movement, re‑editions and new works. In 2022, it joined Italian Radical Design (also known as the owner of Gufram) to preserve its rich heritage while pushing its pleasantly unconventional aesthetic forward.

A Taste of Memphis Milano

Treetops Floor Lamp

Aptly named due to its impressive height and tree-like visual, the Treetops floor lamp features a green triangular base, an orange arched body and a rotating head with geometric shapes in different colours, resulting in a dynamic sculptural piece.

Tahiti Table Lamp

Echoing the silhouette of a duck, the Tahiti table lamp comes with a bacteria-patterned laminate base which supports an eclectic silhouette involving a round pink head that pivots to direct light from the red beak in any desired direction.

Ashoka Table Lamp

Heralding its namesake of “Ashoka the Great” who was an Indian emperor of the ancient Maurya dynasty is Sottsass’ Ashoka table lamp, showcasing a human torso-like figure and numerous light sources protruding everywhere from side to side.