10 Eighties design pieces. A blend of industrial production, irony and poetry.

Richard III armchair, design Philippe Starck, Baleri Italia,1985 

Unquestionably regal – hence its name, which pays homage to the famous monarch immortalised by Shakespeare, with its severe profile, deep black and opulent aura of an age gone by.  The traditional bergère with its unmistakable silhouette – tall back, welcoming lines, armrests slightly apart and thick padding – it has been magically transformed by the visionary French designer, for Baleri Italia, into a radically contemporary object: a sculptural , ironic and  irreverent piece that reinterprets the essence of middle-class decorum. Designed whilst he was planning François Mitterrand’s private quarters at the Élysée Palace, it became the French president’s favourite armchair, as if by telepathy. Featuring a fully moulded rigid polyurethane frame finished in matte black, a padded cushion and a removable cover, it is available in fabric, leather or faux leather in a range of colours, or can be customised. 
 

4870 stackable chair, design Anna Castelli Ferrieri, Kartell, 1985 (out of stock)

So slim that it raised eyebrows when it was unveiled at the Cologne Fair in 1986 by Kartell. Behind its extreme lightness lay two years’ study into developing a hitherto unprecedented thickness, combined with an elegant, flexible, durable, ergonomic and economical seat – and it was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1987. Designed for communal spaces, it is a mix of technological innovation, ergonomic research and formal simplicity: the backrest and seat, injection moulded into a single piece, are reinforced by a network of ribs that also serve as a decorative feature, whilst the position of the legs is designed to optimise stacking. An interesting fact: the Giovanni Sacchi Collection at the Triennale di Milano is home to the wooden study model for a miniature version intended for corporate gifts. It remained in production until 1996.
 

Costanza lamp, design Paolo Rizzatto, Luceplan, 1986

It may be forty years since it first came out, but it still retains the power to look surprisingly contemporary. Created as a reinterpretation of a domestic archetype – the lamp complete with lampshade – the design strips away its weight, material and complexity to imbue it with a fresh modernity. The lightweight, easily detachable polycarbonate diffuser and the touch-sensitive dimmer turn simplicity into innovation. “Designing means looking beyond,” says Rizzatto, summing up a philosophy based on transcending the existing. Today, to mark its fortieth anniversary,  Luceplan is launching three new lampshades featuring brand-new patterns – Pleated, Diamond and Striped – turn the diffuser into a true graphic surface: the light passes through patterns and textures, altering their perception and creating ever-changing atmospheres. A measured evolution that does not alter its identity but confirms its relevance, striking a balance between respect for tradition and contemporary sensibility.
 

Ghost armchair, design Cini Boeri, Fiam, 1987

Almost invisible because it is transparent, because it is made of glass. Yet surprisingly solid and welcoming. An armchair that seems to defy the laws of matter and perception. Made from a single 12mm thick sheet of curved glass, worked and bent until it becomes a seat, armrests and backrest, it inaugurates a radically new idea of comfort and lightness. A continuous, monolithic and edgeless shape, an almost impalpable, floating and incorporeal presence that does not optically occupy the space and adapts to any environment. An authentic icon, born of the marriage between the visionary intuition of the Milanese designer and the technological knowledge of the Marche-based company: a "ghost armchair" capable of turning glass from a simple material into an experience. To celebrate its twentieth anniversary in 2007, it was presented in a new version, enhanced by the special Fiam green back-painted mirror silvering.
 

Tappeto Volante bed, design Enzo Mari, Flou, 1989 (out of stock)

“… the mattress and the blankets make up the bed. Everything else is superfluous, or at the very least incidental…”. It is precisely this thought that gave rise to this piece, which, nearly forty years on, retains its design simplicity intact. At its heart lies the idea of revisiting the traditional wrought-iron bed in a contemporary key, stripping it down to the essentials: a slender painted aluminium frame, in white or dark grey, and a headboard composed of elegant semi-circular arches. The solution proposed by Flou is as simple as it is recognisable, evoking both rigour and softness. The adjustable slatted base, the legs available in two heights and the option to upholster the headboard with a removable cover all underscore its functional nature. It featured in the catalogue until 2020 in single, one-and-a-half and double size.