Beginning on May 1, and in tandem with the opening of the 2015 World Expo in Milan, Italy, the Museum of Modern Art’s design shop will launch a heady, I-want-one-of-everything-please collection of tabletop pieces by Italian design luminaries.
Reissued, iconic vintage works from the past five decades, along with more contemporary designs, will inspire you to bring a bit of Italian flair to your table. They can all be pre-ordered now at momastore.org.A few highlights include Andrea Branzi’s steel and glass Profile Vase, above. Part drawing, part sculpture, it’s a super cool canvas for your next floral creation (even if it’s just two daisies).
Tobia Scarpa’s Hands Up, above, was originally produced in silver in 1998, and has been recreated in white epoxy-coated steel.
These gorgeously linked porcelain cups are appropriately named Tea For Two. Designed by Marcello Morandini, they share a saucer that resembles the infinity sign.
Aldo Cibic’s Paesaggio Italiano resembles the Italian countryside, in miniature. Made of bone china, each element functions as a tabletop staple, from the the little tree (a toothpick holder) to the smokestack (a vase).
Ettore Sottsass’s stoneware Squared Circle bowls are based on a design from 1958 and manufactured by Bitossi ceramics in Milan. They were inspired by the shapes of the traffic lights the designer saw on his first trip to N.Y.C. during that era.
Finally, Gae Aulenti’s stainless steel flatware, originally created in 1970, still looks completely modern.
In fact, her quote below sums up the MoMA collection nicely: “My advice to whoever asks me how to make a home is to not have anything, just a few shelves for books, some pillows to sit on. And then, to take a stand against the ephemeral, against passing trends… and to return to lasting values.”