The model was designed in 1981 and is regarded as one of the iconic designs of the group of architects in Milan, known as the Memphis Group. The designer was the versatile Ettore Sottsass that also was the founder of the group. The Memphis Group's anti-modernist theories are expressed in the Carlton shelf, where previous design conventions are questioned and criticized. Memphis created a new approach to design where design, symbolism, function and the environment gained a new meaning. Memphis laid the foundation for The New International Style, which today feels more current than ever.