5 Stackable plates by Massimo Vignelli for Heller, 1980s







Stackable tableware in yellow and pink melamine designed by Massimo Vignelli for Heller, 1980s. This line of stackable plastic tableware was originally designed in Milan in 1964 for a small company that manufactured melamine ashtrays. The concept behind the tableware was to create a compact set of interlocking units that would save space and achieve a clean shape as the end result. The set was awarded the Compasso d'oro by ADI (Italian Design Association). The Museum of Modern Art in New York owned a set of plates which it lent to the Museum of Contemporary Crafts for a 1966 exhibition. This is where design entrepreneur Alan Heller first saw the project, deciding to import the dinner service to the United States. He went to Milan, found the molds and relaunched production. A few years later the tableware production was moved to the United States. The size of the plates, the edge concept, their stackability, and the brilliant range of colors of the rainbow quickly captured the attention of consumers and the manufacturing became part of the American way of life. The set consists of 3 yellow and pink plates of 2x25 cm and two yellow plates of 2x20 cm. The set is in excellent condition.
ID: 1-1650274488-37299