Living in a Material World

..What makes the 1980’s revival more than just a bit of glam styling for a certain audience is the increase of interest in original 1980’s design pieces.  At Talisman on the King’s Road – the huge eclectic antiques boutique founded last year by antiques expert Ken Bolan – original Pierre Cardin bars, commodes and cabinets (in a South of France yachtie style), Sottsass/Memphis lamps and early Philippe Starck mirrors are attracting unprecedented interest.

“Designers from all over the world are popping in now – because so few good pieces come up”, says Bolan.

Bolan adds, “The feeling I have is that people are really mixing things.  We seem to have finally broken that ‘We must have this type of design in our life’ thing, giving room to quite eccentric looks. A lot of clients are reviewing how they live.  An awful lot of quite classical homes and apartments are being revamped – people are having fun.”

“The reaction of the mid-20-somethings who work for me is quite interesting.  They don’t quite get it,” adds Bolan of Sottsass’s Memphis movement in particular.  “Probably because they haven’t had the exposure yet.  I think it makes them think in a different way. They are great collectors’ pieces of expression.  Memphis was like this fantastical peacock that fluttered into the sky and then was shot down.”