The BA 2000 scales, iconic and vintage

In 1969, it was goodbye to weights and copper as the Terraillon kitchen scales said “Hello" to curved ergonomic mechanics, giving this everyday object an impressive facelift and thereby sounding the death knell for old-style scales.
Designed by Italian designer Marco Zanuso, and his German colleague Richard Sapper, the BA 2000 scales, with their psychedelic colours, compact shell, reversible bowl and pretty geometric lines, was in perfect harmony with the domestic landscape, in tune with the architecture and furniture of that time. It would soon become an iconic object and it is currently on display in New York's MoMA as a true work of art.

Until then, kitchen scales combined two components: a display and a container for food, both separate from each other. In creating these scales, the two artistes would be the first to treat the object as a single item. The lid can be used as a tray, and can be used on both sides for solids or liquids, which was not possible earlier. Thanks to the addition of a small magnifying glass, the measures can be seen even when the tray is lower than eye level.
The Terraillon scales are a prime example of complexity simplified, at a reasonable price!

Made from ABS and PMMA, this little marvel of plastic technology, the symbol of an era, would go on to sell millions of units throughout the world. And it can still be found in our kitchens, despite the advent of high-precision digital scales.