Anran Li
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anranli.bsky.social
Anran Li
@anranli.bsky.social
17 followers 15 following 6 posts
Architect and Industrial Designer @ OXMAN.com
I write posts about design, technology, and nature.
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anranli.bsky.social
Sottsass’s influence lives on in bold, playful design. From the Memphis Group to contemporary designers, his use of form and color continues to inspire fresh thinking.

#Postmodernism #MemphisGroup #DesignIcons
A black-and-white portrait of Ettore Sottsass, an iconic designer, seated on a simple wooden chair in an industrial setting. He wears light, loose-fitting clothing: a white linen shirt with a small notch at the collar and light-colored pants. His worn leather shoes contrast slightly with his clean attire. His long, slightly disheveled hair and mustache add to his serious, contemplative expression. The rough, unfinished wall behind him suggests a creative workspace or studio.
December 1, 2024 at 3:29 AM
anranli.bsky.social
In 1969, Sottsass co-designed the Olivetti Valentine typewriter. Bright red and portable, it made typing joyful and personal. Its playful design broke with the sterile look of office machines.

#Typewriters #ItalianDesign #DesignHistory
A close-up of the Olivetti Valentine typewriter, a bright red, portable typewriter with a sleek, modern design. Its compact form features black keys, a thin paper feed, and red casing with smooth, rounded edges. The typewriter’s bold color and lightweight build are defining characteristics, designed to make typing accessible and fun. It embodies the mid-century shift toward personal, joyful technology.
December 1, 2024 at 3:29 AM
anranli.bsky.social
The Superbox broke new ground with its use of plastic laminate, a material more common in kitchens. Sottsass worked with Abet Laminati to create vibrant, graphic surfaces that redefined industrial materials in furniture.

#Materials #IndustrialDesign #MidCentury
A color image of three abstract, colorful storage units set against a muted gray backdrop. Each unit is tall and rectangular with distinct, vibrant patterns. The first is pink with vertical white stripes and has a flat, rectangular handle. The second is white with a yellow band across the top. The third is lime green with diagonal white-and-orange stripes on the base. The angular shapes and playful patterns give the pieces a sculptural quality, characteristic of the Memphis Group’s 1980s design ethos. A single red-and-white striped wardrobe stands prominently in a studio-like setting. The wardrobe is tall, narrow, and rectangular, featuring horizontal stripes that alternate between bright red and white. It rests on a solid red rectangular base. The door of the wardrobe is slightly open, revealing a plain white interior. The bold patterns and clean lines make the piece visually striking, drawing attention to its playful, unconventional design.
December 1, 2024 at 3:29 AM
anranli.bsky.social
In 1966, Ettore Sottsass introduced the Superbox, a towering wardrobe that transformed interiors. At over 2 meters tall, it acted as a freestanding architectural element—part sculpture, part storage—redefining how objects shape space.

#Furniture #Architecture #ModernArt
A black-and-white photograph of a woman standing behind a minimalist, modern furniture piece. The furniture has a rectangular cabinet with a sliding door on the lower half, featuring abstract geometric details—a circle and two rectangles in contrasting tones. Above the cabinet, a horizontal shelf is supported by slim vertical rods. The woman’s arms are raised above her head as she looks toward the camera, her figure partially framed by the open structure of the furniture. The overall composition feels artistic and balanced, emphasizing clean lines and interplay between human form and object.
December 1, 2024 at 3:29 AM
anranli.bsky.social
I wanted to share something I’ve been listening to after Thanksgiving: Mort Garson’s Plantasia. It’s a 1976 Moog-synth album made for plants and the people who care for them.

music.apple.com/us/album/mot...

open.spotify.com/album/0NJRPg...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZkR...

#Plantasia #Moog #Synth
Album artwork for Plantasia, showing two people embracing a houseplant. The lower leaves of the houseplant appear to be hugging them back. The text reads: "Plantasia - warm earth music for plants... and the people who love them"
November 30, 2024 at 8:59 PM