Serving trolley, painted metal and shaped crystal glass, 'Hilton', designed by Javier Mariscal, with assistance from Pepe Cortes, designed for and produced by Memphis, 1981.

Serving trolley with two shaped crystal shelves and diagonal metal supports which give the impression that the trolley is travelling in high speed. A rectangular shelf with a rounded corner at the front edge is connected to four metal (stainless-steel?) tubes at the bottom. At the front of the trolley two metal caps are screwed into the tubes from the top of the glass; at the back a metal rod on each side is connected to the cap and tube. The two metal rods follow the direction of the metal tube but reunite as a handle behind the end of the top shelf for which the rod has to turn towards the back in a right angle. For the handle the rod is slightly curved towards the trolley; the whole handle is painted yellow. The four diagonal supports are connected through the shelf to four similar short tubes which are connected to the casters. Two additional casters in front of the back ones are glued (?) to the bottom of the shelf. The bottom shelf in same dimensions as the top one has a straight end but a round front. A red painted metal rod in front of the bottom shelf repeats the rounded shape and is connected to either side.

Javier Mariscal designed the 'Hilton' trolley for the first Memphis collection. Like all other furniture in the first Memphis collection, the trolley was named for a luxury hotel. It is tilting back as if travelling at high speed which can be a joke about modernist or Art Deco 'streamlining'. The object features two deft touches of colour and an affectation in the form of what appear to be extraneous wheels. Mariscal designed the trolley with the help of Pepe Cortes, whose metalworking skills were needed to extend the work into three dimensions.
Mariscal did only two furniture designs for Memphis, the Colón table and the 'Hilton' trolley; the latter is one of the most memorable designs produced by Memphis.

In 1979 Javier Mariscal designed the iconic Dúplex bar in Valencia. The project was featured in an exhibition entitled 'Meubles Amorales'. It was the investigation for Ettore Sottsass Jr to invite Mariscal to contribute to the first Memphis collection but Mariscal never became a central figure of the group not even of Postmodern design. Mariscal's work remained oriented to animation and comics.

Original 1981 production

Javiar Mariscal, is best know as a cartoonist and graphic designer but also designed a number of pieces of furniture as well as interiors. The 'Hilton' Serving Trolley was designed on invitation by Ettore Sottsass for the first Memphis collection. It is tilting back as if travelling at high speed, which can be interpreted as a joke about modernist or Art Deco 'streamlining'. The trolley was designed with the help of Pepe Cortes, who was described by Guy Julier as 'Mariscal's long time friend and technical brain'. His metalworking skills were crucial to enable Mariscal to extend his work into three dimensions.
Mariscal only designed two pieces for Memphis, the 'Colón' table and the 'Hilton' trolley, both named for luxury hotels. Though Mariscal never became a core member of the group or a central figure of Postmodern design, his trolley is one of the most memorable designs ever produced by Memphis.

W.15-2010