Mettsass – BD Barcelona

Designed by
Ettore Sottsass

Ettore Sottsass designed the Mettsass table for BD in 1972, nearly a decade before co-founding the Memphis movement, which shifted modern design forever. He was always one to experiment, and his preoccupation with nonconformity defined the architecture of the Mettsass with flat sheets of steel, a vibrant coat of red, and a cultivation of aesthetics and emotion. The colour and geometry are bold and conspicuous, far from the Bauhaus minimalism of the era. Reissued in 2012 and still in production today, the Mettsass remains functional but has a sensory dimension that is traditionally inaccessible. It works as a table and sits like a giant gem.