Five Highlights from the Design Museum’s New Interiors Exhibition

The Design Museum in London has just opened a new exhibition exploring the ‘radical domestic visions of the 20th century’, i.e. what designers thought our homes would look like today. Featuring over 150 modern and postmodern objects, Home Futures includes pieces by designers and architects including Ugo la Pietra and Enzo Mari, among others. We sent design dealer Jermaine Gallacher along to check it out and here, he reports back with his highlights.

La Casa Telematica by Ugo la Pietra

“Ugo La Pietra’s La Casa Telematica was the first thing that caught my eye. Aesthetically, it’s right up my street: 80s neons, ghastly colours and postmodern futurism – what’s not to love? When I was a kid, this is exactly what I imagined and hoped the future would look like: screens in every room and me dressed all in white, gazing into a smoked glass backlit mirror. All I can say is be careful what you wish for.”

Alabaster Lamp and Quaderna Table by Adolfo Natalini 

“I love everything about this lamp and table designed by architect Adolfo Natalini. The Quaderna table is one of my all-time favourite pieces of design – a true cult classic. Seeing it with this knockout lamp I couldn’t help but think they would look that bit better at home with me in my front room.”

Mies Chair with Ottoman by Archizoom Associati

“This Florentine design studio were true mavericks of design and architecture in the 1960s and 70s, and were responsible for some seriously radical creations. Perhaps their most stand-out piece for me is the Mies chair and ottoman – a fabulously ridiculous piece of design that beggars belief, followed in at close second by the Superonda sofa, which I could have quite happily spread out on for rest of the morning drinking my Ikea smoothie.”

The Tawaraya Boxing Ring Bed by the Memphis Group

“No way was this not getting a mention, my most favourite Memphis photo is all of them piled into this bed – such fun, wish I was in it! The Memphis group without doubt ignited my love for furniture and design. I remember buying (or maybe stealing) my first design book The International Design Yearbook 1986/87 and seeing Table Burgundy by Michele De Lucchi and thinking ‘How sexy is that?’. To be able see this iconic piece of Memphis design made the show for me.”

Single Bed by Enzo Mari

“I first remember being introduced to Enzo Mari by my tutor at art collage. He had bought a copy of Autoprogettazione and decided to make several of the effa tables for our studio. Being a total brown nose with an interest in furniture, I offered to help. I have to say I wasn’t that into the finished result, I was never a wholesome modernist but, nine years on, and still none the more wholesome, I can appreciate how forward thinking Mari was in publishing his designs that can be built using some wood a hammer and a few nails.”

Home Futures is at the Design Museum, London, until March 24, 2019

Jermaine Gallacher is a London-based design dealer, art director and interior designer