Vitra Uten.Silo Storage

The Uten.Silo by Dorothee Becker from Vitra is a design classic in every sense.

The idea was derived from a multi-pocketed fabric storage system which hung in her father's shop when she was a child. She was inspired to create something in plastic, which would be easier to mass produce and be both practical and versatile and Uten. Silo was born.

With its different-sized and shaped containers, its metal hooks and clips it was the ultimate solution for organising offices, kitchens, workshops, bathrooms and children's rooms and keeping them paraphernalia free.

Uten.Silo was originally launched at the Frankfurt Fair in 1969 and her husband (lighting designer Ingo Maurer) invested £100,000 to get production started for both the original sized Uten.Silo and a smaller version in 1970.

Initially a huge hit Uten.Silo production ceased when the oil crisis of 1974 hit the cost of plastic and consumer confidence.

It was relaunched in 2002 by the Vitra Design Museum who now produces both the original 1969 version of Uten.Silo and a smaller one dating from 1970.

The smaller one (Uten.Silo II) is available in white, black, red or chrome and the larger one (Uten.Silo I) is available in white, black or red.