There is no denying it. Ever since the launch of the first Sputnik, the conquest of space has influenced art, culture and everyday life. At the turn of the 1960s and 1970s, fascination with the Moon gave rise to a craze for spherical forms in interior design…
There was, of course, the festive mirror ball — invented at the end of the 19th century and already popular in American cabarets in the 1920s — which became the iconic star of the disco era. Then came moulded plastic chairs with rounded, enveloping seats, appearing in fashionable interiors and public spaces… and finally, everyday functional objects. This is how “die Kugel” — “the sphere” — found its way into the world of tableware.
Helen von Boch (1938–2007), a German designer working within Villeroy & Boch’s in-house design team, created this unusual sculptural tableware set in 1971 for the company’s so-called “Avant-Garde” collection.
Colours of the Era
From 1972 onwards, the tableware was produced in two colour combinations: brown, white and cognac, or yellow, green and orange. The playful colours and shapes of the Sphere broke away from the brand’s traditional ranges and reflected contemporary trends. In doing so, the tableware specialist modernised its image and appealed to a younger audience.
Beyond its striking appearance, the German designer’s creation also involved a number of remarkable challenges.
From a practical perspective, this 28 cm-diameter sphere conceals an ingenious construction in which the different pieces fit inside one another like Russian dolls: dinner plates, soup plates, compote bowls, a covered tureen, a serving dish and a salad bowl… The sphere contains a complete tableware set for four people while taking up a minimum amount of space.
A clever solution for storage or transport, but also an elegant presentation piece that can be displayed like a work of art.
Precision Techniques
Manufacturing the sphere also proved to be a technical challenge, as ceramic pieces do not shrink uniformly during firing, making the precise stacking of the different elements particularly complex. Production teams therefore had to adapt their processes to ensure accuracy. The precision with which the forms fit together and the high degree of standardisation represent a remarkable industrial achievement.
The set has since become a design classic. It is collected by enthusiasts and exhibited in institutions dedicated to modern art around the world, including the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and MoMA in New York.
Since 1998, the brand has continued to reinterpret its iconic creation. The Sphere has been released in small editions featuring different colours and artist-designed patterns. Versions include monochrome black and white editions, a tribute to the Italian Memphis design movement of the 1980s, as well as the brand’s historic blue decoration revived to celebrate Villeroy & Boch’s 275th anniversary…
Finally, the geometric patterns that transform the appearance of the Miami Sphere may remind science-fiction enthusiasts of a friendly robot character straight out of a Star Wars film. Half a century after its creation, the spirit of the 1970s is never far away.
Cecile Ybert
Photo credit: https://www.trendxpress.org/villeroy_u_boch/275-creating-homes-die-kugel-1971