In Bloom: Frangipani

My earliest memories are all in the 1980s. The era of Dynasty, MTV, and early computer graphics — jagged fonts, grids, neon gradients. The visual language was loud and unapologetic. From Benetton to Esprit there was a kind of joyful aggression: fluorescent pink, electric blue, lime green, everything shouting over everything else. Minimalism was out; excess was in.

The Memphis Group appeared right on cue — an Italian design collective making furniture that looked like children’s toys and sculptures all at once. Plastic laminate, zigzags, polka dots, impossible colors. Emotion and story were more important than function. Gaetano Pesce was one of the unruly uncles of that era, and I dreamed of meeting him. Years later, he would design the Flamingo Estate Olive Oil bottle, his last project before he died — a small piece of Memphis art sitting on our kitchen counter.