Memphis bookshop Suvretta

The Suvretta bookcase, designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1981, is an extraordinary example of design that defies convention. Featuring wooden shelves covered with a decorative laminate, this bookcase does not follow the classic linearity of furniture. Each row of shelves has different angles, creating a feeling of discontinuity and movement that is surprising. The name ‘Suvretta’ comes from Romansh, a language spoken in the Engadine, and means ‘above the small forest’, a reference that Sottsass wanted to convey in the design of the bookcase. The green shelves, arranged to resemble a sequence of overlapping trees, create an organic composition that plays with verticality and diagonality.

The sloping arrangement of the dividing elements lends a lively and dynamic rhythm to the structure, a visual effect that breaks away from the traditional approach to furniture. The contrast with the white background enhances this energy, while the decorative laminate with the ‘Bacterio’ texture - a typical Sottsass design - frames the whole, giving it a unique graphic quality. The bookcase, despite its apparent simplicity, is a work that stimulates the eye and invites reflection on the relationship between space, form and function, becoming more than a simple piece of furniture, but a true object of functional art.

• Designer: Suvretta
• Year: 1981

Dimensions:

• Height: 2000 mm 
• Width: 2040 mm 
• Depth: 350 mm 
• Shelf depth: 300 mm