The heart of Memphis continues with the same strong beat as in its early days in 1981… Japanese designer Masanori Umeda, one of the founding members of the subversive Memphis collective, is back! He’s celebrating the true Memphis spirit through the new Night Tales collection: fascinating pieces with a surprising style.40 years after the creation of the post-modernist Memphis group, founded by Ettore Sottsass in the 1980s, this new product family designed by Masanori Umeda is taking its rightful place in the Post Design collections. Night Tales is made up of the Utamoro series – pieces with unique designs – along with several projects based on designs found in the archives dating back to the 1980s.   Born in Japan in 1941, Masanori Umeda went on to hone and flaunt is talents as an architect and designer in Italy. He started out in 1962 in the studio of Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni before becoming a consultant at Olivetti. He held that position from 1967 to 1969, and it was there that he met Ettore Sottsass, with whom he would go onto to collaborate with in the 1980s for the creation of the famous Memphis collective.It was in 1981 that Umeda created his most iconic piece for Memphis: the incredible “Tawaraya” Boxing Ring. A transgressive creation that combines styles, functions, colours and materials, fully investing in the dynamics of the Memphis movement. Umeda’s collaboration with Memphis continued over two more years. In 1982, he designed the robot-shaped Ginza bookcase and in 1983, he created the Orinoco ceramic vase.   The Utamaro series, taken from the Night Tales collection, was designed as social space between the Land of the Rising Sun and the West, just like the “Tawaraya” Boxing Ring in 1981. This family is composed of a double bed, a sofa and an armchair, all inspired by the erotic rituals of the Edo era, the women and the traditional houses depicted in the work of Japanese painter Kitagawa Utamaro. These three, matching pieces of furniture make a huge style statement, and have a tubular structure in blue or fuchsia metal with laminate edging patterned with the iconic black and white chessboard print, tatami mats, lacquered trays and silk cushions in flamboyant colours. Just like with his Tawaraya boxing ring, Umeda has combined traditional, domestic Japanese style with contemporary Japanese accents and Western furniture tastes, creating a remarkable juxtaposition.The Night Tales collection evokes the Memphis style which revolutionised design in the 1980s, shaking up the norms and willingly stepping outside of the lines of “good taste”.

In detail:

Variation : Blue & multicolour

Brand : Memphis Milano

Designer : Masanori Umeda

Type : Double bed

Colour : Blue – Frame: black & white – Multicoloured cushions – Trays: red & white

Material : Laminate and painted metal frame with Japanese tatami mats and LED lights in the base – Silk cushions – 2 lacquered trays

Dimensions : 252 x 252 cm x H 144 cm

Weight : 440 lb

Characteristics : Night Tales Collection, Post Design, 2020 – Double bed – Limited edition (12 units) – LED lights in the base – 2 lacquered trays – Each unit comes with a certificate of authenticity

Country of Manufacture : Italy