Style Forecast: Memphis-inspired pieces coming to you from Memphis, Tennessee

The Memphis style of furniture and accessories is nearly impossible to ignore with its asymmetrical lines and whimsical patterns. It basically served as an act of defiance to the austere and sleek lines of previous movements, adding playfulness and surprise to a world where everything was starting to look the same. The story goes that Italian designer Ettore Sottsass called together a meeting of creatives in the early 1980s and they spent the night drawing sketches and listening to the Bob Dylan song “Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” before coming to the realization that they were breaking new ground and should make a collection. They called it Memphis, inspired by the song, and first showed their line in Milan in September 1981.

Though it was met with much fanfare and interest, it did not fully realize its commercial potential until the 1990s, and was more of a niche within collectors (David Bowie and Karl Lagerfeld among them) and influenced some movie and television sets like “Ruthless People,” The Max in “Saved by the Bell,” and “Pee Wee’s Playhouse.”

While not officially Memphis, the Worlds Away line has adopted some of the principles its pieces: barrel back chairs, scalloped sofas, and organic patterning. If you like the aesthetic without all the eccentricities, try our DOMINIC chairs, the RENATA BLP lamp, our velvet sofa the MARJORIE, our ASTRO star side table, and the ANDES console.

For more information on trends this year, please see the article below:

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/design-experts-tell-us-design-113000105/photo-p-memphis-movement-overtaking-midcentury-photo-214204278.html