Some time back, we said that the Ericofon was the world’s coolest phone. However, in terms of design, the Grillo telephone, designed by Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper, is arguably the most influential.
So why is this 1966 phone so special? Take a look at your mobile phone. There’s a good chance you’ve got a clamshell handset – and it’ll be based on this house phone. The phone flips open like the modern-day mobiles, with a dial exposed, plus mouth and ear piece. It’s name – Grillo – translates as “cricket”, which is the strange sound of its ring.
Award-winning in its day and still an iconic design today, you can pick one up for less than £100 (though it’s likely to need adapting for use).
Buy a Grillo phone from Telephone Lines