Joe Colombo

Private collection, Italy

Conviene abbattere qualche muro per vivere come ci piace, Abitare, no. 87, July-August 1970, n.p.

Ignazio Favata, Joe Colombo and Italian Design of the Sixties, London, 1988, pp. 90-91

Joe Colombo : Inventing the Future, exhibition catalogue, La Triennale di Milano, Milan, 16 September - 18 December 2005, pp. 212-213

Joe Colombo designed the Triangular System as a modular system of different sized boxes combined using hinges, playing with the geometry of a square which can be opened diagonally to obtain two triangular spaces. The boxes could be customized with various components and shelves, thus reflecting his interest in flexibility and adaptability. The concept of modular design, which Colombo often employed, was innovative and forward-thinking. He abandoned the traditional idea of furniture being fixedly and perennially positioned as for instance against a wall, pursuing instead the design of centre furniture versatile and multifunction. It allowed users to arrange and rearrange components to suit their unique needs, creating a sort of "programmable" environment. In this way, the design could evolve along with the user's changing circumstances.

An example can be found in the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France.