500 Rare Ettore Sottsass-Designed Telephones Were Discovered in 2025 — Now They're For Sale
Produced in 1985, only 1000 ENORME Telephones were originally produced by the Memphis design pioneer.
Last week, after an unexpected discovery, rare pieces of technology designed by Italian architect Ettore Sottsass were exhibited at Design. Space LA.
Earlier in 2025, 500 unopened ENORME Telephones were discovered inside a time-capsule in Stanford, California, prompting Sottsass’s ENORME co-founders David Kelley and Jean Pigozzi to greenlight their release. Currently available through Basic Space, the 500 telephones produced in 1985 are the only original, non-reproduction work by Sottsass for sale today.
The Italian architect is best known as the founder of the Memphis Group, which pioneered the bold postmodern aesthetic that became synonymous with the historic design firm. The exuberant hues and stark geometric shapes of the style developed Sottsass and his peers are widely regarded as hallmarks of the 1980s postmodern design movement.
Intending to create everyday technology that is both utilitarian and beautiful, Sottsass collaborated with IDEO founder David Kelley and investor Jean Pigozzi to bring ENORME to life. Offered in a polychrome palette with red at the speaker and yellow at the base, the design is characterized by a sleek rectangular silhouette and a retro cord. Evoking the retrofuturistic design found on the sets of Apple TV+’s Severance, the ENORME Telephone seems to have returned just in time as vintage tech finds new life in the zeitgeist.
The landline telephone retails for $495 USD and comes with the original packaging and instruction booklet designed by Sottsass and Kelley. Shop the ENORME Telephone now at Basic Space while supplies last.
