Postmodern Treasure: Rare Ettore Sottsass Enorme Telephones Emerge After Decades

Design enthusiasts, rejoice! A remarkable discovery has sent ripples through the collectible design world as 500 pristine Enorme telephones, created by legendary designer Ettore Sottsass, have emerged from a time capsule in Stanford, California. These vibrant relics of 1980s postmodernism, untouched since their creation in 1985, represent a fascinating intersection of art, technology, and cultural history. For those who appreciate design artifacts with genuine provenance, this unexpected find offers a rare opportunity to own an authentic piece of design history.

The story behind these phones is as colorful as their appearance. The Enorme telephone was born from a collaboration between Italian architect Ettore Sottsass (founder of the influential Memphis Group), IDEO founder David Kelley, and entrepreneur Jean Pigozzi. Together, they formed the aptly named Enorme Corporation with a revolutionary vision: to transform the mundane telephone, at that time a purely functional object, into something that celebrated both utility and beauty. The result was a bold statement piece that challenged conventional thinking about everyday technology.

Designers: Ettore Sottsass, David Kelley (Jean Pigozzi, investor)

What makes these phones instantly recognizable is their distinctive postmodern aesthetic. The rectangular silhouette features a playful polychrome palette with a red speaker and yellow base, embodying the Memphis Group’s signature style. This design language, characterized by bold geometric shapes, bright colors, and playful proportions, became the visual shorthand for 1980s design innovation. Sottsass and his Memphis colleagues deliberately rejected the austere functionalism that dominated design thinking, instead embracing emotional connection and visual joy as legitimate design considerations.

The timing of this discovery couldn’t be more perfect, as contemporary design continues to experience a renewed appreciation for postmodern aesthetics. Today’s designers regularly cite Sottsass and the Memphis Group as influences, with their work appearing in major museum retrospectives worldwide. The Enorme telephone stands as a perfect encapsulation of this influential movement, a physical manifestation of the group’s philosophy that everyday objects should bring delight rather than merely perform functions. Its design remains surprisingly fresh despite being nearly four decades old.

What’s particularly remarkable about this find is the pristine condition of these telephones. Each comes complete with its original 1985 packaging and instruction booklet, including the controversial sumo wrestler logo. These aren’t reproductions or reissues; they’re authentic pieces preserved exactly as they were intended to be experienced. For collectors and design historians, this represents an unprecedented opportunity to acquire what is essentially a museum-quality piece of design history directly from its original production run.

The cultural significance of these phones extends beyond their visual appeal. They represent a pivotal moment when technology began to be viewed through a more humanistic lens. Before Apple made technological beauty mainstream, Sottsass and his collaborators were pioneering the idea that functional objects deserved thoughtful design consideration.

The Enorme telephone challenged users to reconsider their relationship with everyday technology, suggesting that even the most utilitarian objects in our lives could and should bring visual and tactile pleasure. At a surprisingly accessible $495, these phones offer a unique opportunity to own a piece created by one of the 20th century’s most influential designers at a fraction of what his other works typically cost.

Photo courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

The post Postmodern Treasure: Rare Ettore Sottsass Enorme Telephones Emerge After Decades first appeared on Yanko Design.