"The bedroom of two people who truly love each other very much ought to be bare, with flowers and fruit at most, since very little is needed in love - very little indeed"
—Ettore Sottsass, Jr.The present integrated bedroom furniture was designed by Ettore Sottsass, Jr. for the Milanese home of his trusted printmaker Giovanni Lana and his family. In a 1967 Domus feature, Sottsass described the space containing these furnishings as an entirely white and simple room. This was because, in his view, ‘the bedroom of two people who truly love each other very much ought to be bare, with flowers and fruit at most, since very little is needed in love - very little indeed: it is anger that makes people insatiable.’
Executed by Sottsass’s friend and collaborator Renzo Brugola, the components of this room reveal a masterpiece in the ingenious use of space. The beds are placed against a white laminated wall that supports a pair of unadorned bedside tables. The three wall-mounted units with geometrical details are positioned with different functionalities in mind. The teal one and the black one can be used as book or object holders, while the white one at the top is designed to store larger items. The entire organisation of the room, with its few essential pieces, are a testament to Sottsass’s creative and thoughtful vision for this special commission.
The master bedroom of Casa Lana, Milan
Photo: Archivio Domus - © Editoriale Domus S.p.A.Provenance
Mr and Mrs Giovanni Lana, commissioned directly from the designer, circa 1966
Thence by descent to the present ownerLiterature
Ettore Sottsass, 'Una stanza nella stanza', Domus, no. 457, December 1967, illustrated p. 34
Bellezza, February 1968, illustrated p. 45
Space Design: Journal of Art and Architecture, no. 43, June 1968, illustrated pp. 32-33
Property from Casa Lana, Milan
39
Bedroom furniture
circa 1966
Ash, ash-veneered wood, painted ash, laminated wood.
Wall panel: 217.3 x 334.4 x 5.6 cm (85 1/2 x 131 5/8 x 2 1/4 in.)
Each bed: 50 x 85.7 x 192.1 cm (19 5/8 x 33 3/4 x 75 5/8 in.)
Each bedside table: 4.7 x 40.8 x 38.4 cm (1 7/8 x 16 1/8 x 15 1/8 in.)
Each unit: 40.2 x 40 x 36 cm (15 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 14 1/8 in.)
Executed by Renzo Brugola, Lissone, Italy. Comprising a wall panel, a pair of beds, a pair of wall-mounted bedside tables and three wall-mounted units.
Estimate
£12,000 - 18,000 ‡
Sold for £32,760
Antonia King
Head of Sale, Design
+44 20 7901 7944
Antonia.King@phillips.com
Design
London Auction 2 November 2022
