The iconic Japanese piece is, in his words, “a place for intellectual fighting”

Karl Lagerfeld's Memphis-filled Monte Carlo apartment, designed by Andrée Putman. Photo: Jacques Schumacher

In 1981, Japanese designer Masanori Umeda received a letter from Italian maestro Ettore Sottsass: He was planning to launch a radical new design movement; would Umeda dream up something never before seen? Calculating his response, Umeda considered the Italian propensity for debate—they would spar over everything from politics to football. His proposal? A domestic boxing ring sheathed in tatami, the woven-rush floor coverings used in traditional Japanese interiors. Or, as Umeda once described it: “a place for intellectual fighting.”

Collector Adrian Mibus's London apartment

Photo: Henry Wilson

Members of the Memphis Group in the ring

Photo: Aldo Ballo

“My father wanted to make something that was both a space and a piece of furniture,” explains Nanae Umeda, the late designer’s daughter, who now runs his estate.…