I attended an event last week at a contemporary Italian furniture showroom.  Upstairs there were ultra-slick cabinets with exotic veneers and concealed hardware.  Downstairs there were pieces in gravity-challenging shapes and ice-cream colors that reminded me very much of Memphis.

Memphis was an quirky little design movement.  Its members possessed an excellent story about how they got their name (a group was sitting around listening to records when “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again” came on), and an enviable formal freedom.  But their work was unremarkable.  In fact it’s hard to believe that Italians (Italians!) wanted to make things that were so awkward and so unlovely.  But apparently their kooky, graphic energy is inspiring a new generation of designers.