The Brionvega RR-126 is an icon of Pop design. It was conceived as an anthropomorphic ‘musical pet’, with speakers for ears and control dials for its face. It could be moved around easily on its castors, allowing it to operate in concert with other informal 1960s furniture (for example, inflatable furniture such as the Blow Chair). It is made from plywood covered with a faux-wood laminate. The stand is cast aluminium, painted black except on the leading edges, and its wheels are rubber. The turntable was made by Garrard.

The system’s elements could be arranged in three different ways: speakers on top; speakers hooked to the sides; speakers separated from the main unit. The ability of the RR126 to be rearranged at will provided a fashionable, witty, Pop-inspired piece of furniture, but it also allowed its user a degree of control over the device’s audio output. When the speakers were stacked on top, it meant that only the radio could be used and that stereophonic sound was less effective. In this configuration, the turntable was concealed, fitting into recesses on the underside of the speakers. When they were attached to the sides, the record player was then accessible, and the stereophonic output more obviously effective at greater distance from the unit. The final configuration placed the speakers away from the main body, achieving optimal stereo sound quality. This attention to sound quality is characteristic of the period in which the RR126 was designed. In the mid-1960s, pop music pioneers such as the Beatles and the Beach Boys began to experiment seriously with complex layered song arrangements, which demanded playing on high-quality audio equipment to appreciate the complexity and richness of sound production.

The RR126 was available with several different coloured plastic laminate ‘skins’, including white, black, red, yellow and faux-woodgrain. Its use of brightly coloured plastic laminate as a ‘skin’, as well as its playful, soft form, links it to contemporary Italian furniture designs by the likes of Joe Colombo and Vico Magistretti, who sought to reinterpret and celebrate plastics as materials in their own right.

Brothers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni are renowned for their experimentation with industrial products and fusing them with design. Innovatively collaborating with esteemed manufacturers such as Flos, Zanotta and Brionvega, the Italian duo is the mastermind behind coveted designs such as the Snoopy and Taccio table lamps or the Gatto lighting series.

Condition: it is important to state that this item has been carefully and sympathetically restored to a very high standard with no expense spared. From the needle for the turntable, to the led lights, everything has been meticulously restored where necessary. There are still a few very light scratches on the laminate which are barely noticeable so it was decided that they do not detract from the overall vintage feel of the item and left as they were. As with any mechanical and electrical item with moving parts it does require servicing from time to time but overall this is one of the best examples of the 1960’s Brionvegas RR-126.

Dimensions: 73cm high, 122cm wide, 40cm deep (with speakers side mounted), 113cm high, 61cm wide, 40cm deep (with speakers stacked)