Dorothee Becker’s Uten.Silo RE II emerges in six fresh colours
The iconic storage vessel, originally designed in 1969, now offers a expanded palette that brings timeless functionality and considered colour into the contemporary home.
AI-assisted voice playback. Starts only when you choose Play.
Dorothee Becker’s Uten.Silo RE II arrives in six new colours, extending the life of one of the twentieth century’s most elegant solutions to domestic order. Originally conceived in 1969, this cylindrical container has long embodied that rare fusion of sculptural form and uncompromising utility, its rounded body and stackable metal pegs allowing the user to configure storage with the ease of building blocks.
The new palette expands the possibilities for integration into contemporary interiors. Each colour sits within the piece’s essential geometric language, a smooth sphere that catches light and sits comfortably on a shelf or desk, neither decorative flourish nor purely utilitarian object but something between. The metallic pegs remain unchanged, their mechanical grace a counterpoint to the vessel’s organic curves.
What distinguishes the Uten.Silo RE II across its half century of production is its resistance to stylistic ageing. The form belongs to no particular moment; it might have been designed yesterday or fifty years ago. That durability of vision, combined with the practical truth that good storage remains forever relevant, accounts for its enduring presence in design collections and thoughtfully arranged homes. The new colour options simply widen the conversation between the object and the space it inhabits.
Vitra’s commitment to Becker’s vision ensures that the piece continues to serve as both functional container and quiet statement of design literacy, a reminder that the most beautiful objects are those that ask nothing of us but to use them well.
Imagery courtesy of Vitra (@vitra).