Vitra’s Uten.Silo is a stylish spot for everyday essentials
Uten.Silo II is a beautiful storage solution for small items. The Alima serving trolley is part of &Tradition's collection.
VITRA’S ICONIC Uten.Silo organizer is more than just a storage solution – it’s a true design classic that brings both order and style to any space. The Uten.Silo was designed by German-born Dorothee Becker (1938–2023), a self-taught designer who built a remarkably successful career without formal studies in design.
Becker’s journey into the world of design had many stages. Her family did not support her career ambitions, so she ended up studying languages. In 1960, she moved together with her then boyfriend and future husband, lighting designer Ingo Maurer, to the United States, where they lived until 1963.
While living in the States, Dorothee Becker studied the teachings of Italian medical doctor and pedagogue Maria Montessori, and got inspiration for the first version of her Uten.Silo in 1968. Made of wood, it was designed as a children’s toy. It consisted of a rotary-cut board with indentations in which pieces of various shapes would fit. However, Becker’s own children did not find it too interesting, so back it went to the drawing board.
The white Uten.Silo serves not only as storage for everyday essentials but also as a beautiful decor element.
Various compartments and hooks keep essential small items neatly stored.
Shaped by memories
Uten.Silo’s final design was inspired by Becker’s childhood and the time she spent in her father’s pharmacy in Aschaffenburg, Germany. The design is said to have similarities with a toiletry bag made of waxed cotton fabric that was hanging on the pharmacy wall. Becker is said to have been fascinated by what small objects she would find hiding in it, and this encapsulates the playful but practical design of Uten.Silo.
Uten.Silo’s original name was Wall-All, manufactured by Design M, a design company established by Ingo Maurer. The item was launched at the Frankfurt Trade Fair in 1969. Made of plastic, Uten.Silo was manufactured with a metallic injection molding machine, a major investment for what was at the time a relatively small design business. But the investment paid off and Uten.Silo became a huge success especially in Europe and the US.
Originally designed under the Design M label, the Uten.Silo (large in 1969, small in 1970) has found its way onto the walls of countless homes over the years.
Available in two sizes
Uten.Silo was available in red, green, white, orange, and black. A smaller variety was also launched in 1970. The original Uten.Silo had, in addition to a few hooks, 23 compartments of various shapes, while the smaller had 15. However, the costs of plastic manufacture increased as a result of the oil crisis in the early 1970s, so manufacture had to be stopped in 1974.
Vitra reintroduced the Becker designs in early 2000. The original size is now called Uten.Silo I and the slightly smaller one Uten.Silo II.
Dorothee Becker is especially remembered for her 1969 design, the Uten.Silo organizer.
Who: Dorothee Becker (1938–2023)
Born in Aschaffenburg in Germany, studied languages in Frankfurt and Munich
Was married to industrial designer Ingo Maurer
Best-known product the Wall-All wall unit, currently called Uten.Silo
The couple had two children but divorced in the mid-1970s
Sold design items until 1989 in her shop in Munich
Died in March 2023.
See also:
• All Dorothee Becker designs >
Published on 6 Nov, 2024
