Home Improvement

16 Awesome Examples Of Vintage Memphis-Style Pieces From Etsy

By Leonora Epstein Dec 4, 2019 12:17 pm EST

Memphis School Yellow Steel Chair and Ottomans (set of two), $1,200

Etsy

You may have noticed that over the past few years, design has gotten a bit, um, what's the word ... kooky? We've been seeing motifs that feel extra '80s; kitschy zig-zag stuff; crazy colors. A lot of that stuff has its roots in a 1980s design movement called the Memphis Group, which was founded by Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, and brought together a global group of designers interested in breaking away from austerity and functionalism, with furniture and decor that was purposefully shocking and even garish, at times.

If you're interested in collecting Memphis-style pieces, look no further than Etsy, which has plenty of vintage objects that are either directly from the core group of Memphis designers, or inspired by that extra-'80s look. Check out these offerings to get an idea of what you might be able to score:

Vintage Postmodern '80s Shohei Mihara Mirror, $344.04