Sabine Getty: Memphis Belle

The chic and colourful world of London-based jeweller Sabine Getty

Ossi Piispanen 2018
(Image credit: Ossi Piispanen 2018)

Italian designer and architect Ettore Sottsass founded the design collective known as the Memphis Group in December 1980. His Tahiti desk lamp, unveiled shortly after, prefigured many of the group’s playful creations: composed of bright blocky shapes and fitted with a pivoting head, Sottsass’ light resembles a toy-like tropical bird.

To Lebanese-Egyptian jewellery designer Sabine Getty, the lamp is a beloved souvenir from her childhood: her mother, the interior designer Karine Ratl, furnished family homes in Geneva, Beirut, Paris and finally the South of France in lively Memphis pieces. “I think it’s because I grew up surrounded by so much colour and fun furniture that I’m so attracted to creating fun, colourful things,” says Getty.

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