CLEYEMAX

Masanori Umeda's 1980's Ginza Robot Cabinet

Mid-century furniture has made a comeback and has influenced a whole new era of design,

but will we see the return of late 20th century home furnishings?

The big eighties made a lasting impression on me. It has not influenced my work directly, but the music, fashion, money and energy were motivating.

Soho was full of galleries, with not an uptown boutique to be seen.

Color was explosive and everywhere,

from art and movies to clothing and nouvelle cuisine.

Peter Shire's "Peninsula" table #22, 1982

Sottsass' silverplated Fruit Bowl / Dish Murmansk

The MEMPHIS DESIGN MOVEMENT

was founded in 1981 by architect Ettore Sottsass and a group of young Milanese architects and designers. The playful colors, materials and motifs of the furniture, ceramics and glassware was unveiled at the 1981 milan furniture fair. Memphis split the design world and caused a media sensation after years of drab, conventional design of the 70's. Memphis Design became the radical design movement that achieved iconic status. It clearly is not for everyone, but none the less, it became part of museum collections world wide.

1983 Alioth Vase by Ettore Sottsass through Nova68.com

The designers disagreed with the conformist approach at the time and challenged the idea that products had to follow conventional shapes, colours, textures and patterns.

Bel Aire Arm Chair 1982 by Peter Shire

Vintage watches by Swatch

Swatch reinvented an everyday fashion item...

Shopping malls and fashion showrooms worldwide used stylized animal patterns such as cow print and zebra, along with black/white composition note book, stripes, triangles, squiggles and exaggerated faux wood grain.

Memphis Designs for the Esprit Showroom in Zurich and Store Design in Cologne

Dublin Sofa, Marco Zanini, 1980

A newly designed Chaise with 1980's inspiration from folsky.com

Flamingo Side Table by Michele de Lucchi for Memphis, Italy, 1984

Iconic Memphis style chair by Michele De Lucchi, Italy 1983

Unique pair of Sottsass/Mendini inspired table lamps by Products of London

Architectural Rendering by Ettore Sottsass

Signature Style of Architect Michael Graves

Kitchen Timer also by Michael Graves for Alessi

Ettore Sottsass' Carlton Cabinet for Memphis, 1981

Early inspiration...

Harmonie Tranquille, Wassily Kandinsky, 1925

... and during the movement

Monkey Puzzle by Keith Haring, 1988

An 80's Yellow Figure Chair from www.pop-shop.com

Andy Warhol's Brooklyn Bridge, 1983

Treat yourself to the eye-popping "moving" graphics and new-wave fashion style of

Le Roux in her video for Bullet Proof... the sound is sheer synthesized eighties pop!

Image: Disney / Daryl Mitchell

While working on a project in South Florida, my wife and I decided to take our three year old to Disney World. It was always a place of inspiration... a world of reality and fantasy all at once.

On my first visit as a child, my camera was filled with photos and close ups of the architecture- windows, doors, rooflines... not one classic Disney character.

Where else could I get a crash course in the styles of victorian, colonial, arabesque, spanish, neo-gothic and futuristic all in one afternoon? It was a feast for the eyes for a young creative person. The details were inspiring...

This time I was taken most by the "It's a Small World" attraction. Originally built by Disney for the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York, it was designed by Mary Blair and later re-interpreted throughout the world-wide parks. It was always "too cute" for me- a boat ride of giggling kids and grinning grandparents. But, this time I was doing the smiling... impressed by the reference to graphic and mid-century design motifs I continue to love in art, fashion and interior design.