ColorAcademy 2005 - Furniture

Furniture

The ‘Carlton’ room divider in plastic laminate for Memphis 1981. Photo David Miller from Collins 1994.

Although the colour of furniture has more often than not depended on the natural quality of the material, such as wood and metal, colour has often played a significant role.
An outstanding colorist of the twentieth century was Ettore Sottsass, the Italian architect and designer. He produced furniture based on Pop Art for Poltronova in 1966, and the startling novelty of his work increased after 1979 when he joined with Studio Alchymia, and in 1981 when he formed the Memphis Group. One of his Memphis designs was his ‘Hyatt’ table of 1984. He has been a key figure in post-modernism, able to reject ‘good form’ for the sake of enjoyment and fun.

Bibliography
COLLINS, M. (1994) Towards Post-Modernism. London: British Museum.

MILLER, J. (1998) The Style Sourcebook. London: Mitchell Beezley.

RADICE, B. (1985) Memphis. London: Thames and Hudson.

SPARKE, P. (1981) Ettore Sottsass. London: Design Council.

THORNTON, P. (1985) Authentic Décor. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson.