Introducing from our Flensted Mobiles collection some new hanging marvels, Moomin Mobile, Flying Chairs, and Olephant Mobile – a perfect range of ceiling and hanging mobiles.

“In 1951 Isamu Noguchi visited the Japanese town of Gifu, known for its manufacture of lanterns and umbrellas from the mulberry bark paper and bamboo. Inspired by the lanterns illuminating night fishing on the Nagara River, Noguchi designed the first of his lamps that would be produced by the traditional Gifu methods of construction. He called these works Akari, a term meaning light as illumination, but also implying the idea of weightlessness. Extending the concept of illuminated sculpture that he developed during the 1940s in New York, Noguchi employed abstract shapes to unite the simplicity of Japanese aesthetics with the principles of contemporary art and design. More that home furnishing, Akari are light sculptures.

“With the warm glow of light cast through hand-made paper on a bamboo frame, Isamu Noguchi utilized traditional Japanese materials to bring modern design to the home. Like the beauty of falling leaves and the cherry blossom, Noguchi wrote, Akari are ‘poetic, ephemeral, and tentative.’ And he was fond of saying, ‘All that you require to start a home are a room, a tatami, and Akari.’ ”

View all Noguchi Lamps

DwellStudio was born as Dwell Home Furnishings, in 1999. Founder and Creative Director Christiane Lemieux, a veteran of the worlds of fashion and home retail, wanted to offer the discerning customer a range of vibrant and modern textile designs. She certainly succeeded. DwellStudio established itself as a leader and innovator in the junior to adult  bedding market. With a unique sense of color, an unwavering commitment to quality, and always remaining a step ahead in design. The DwellStudio brand has roots in modern print and pattern and is the destination for the well designed, decorative minimal space.

Everyone needs a coat hanger right? Why not 4….. in a row? The Eames Hang It All by Herman Miller

It may not be the most durable coat hanger on the market, but it’s definitely the most colourul! An eye catching piece that your guests will be sure to comment on.

4 Hang It Alls in a row

Alessi and the Seiko have jointly produced a new collection of Alessi watches.

Watches in the collection derive their designs from the inspirations of distinguished international architects and designers of commercial and industrial products, all well known to Alessi, and Seiko brings those inspirations to fruition in the form of exciting new watches.

The styles and methods of each designer, and the originality of Alessi are combinedly reflected in the distinctive character of each series.

Modern watch "Daytimer" by Alessi

The Modern Twist Silicone Placemats are an enjoyable departure from the norm! Who’s ever heard of coloring on your placemat while waiting for dinner? Washable markers wipe clean for reusable fun at each meal. Modern Twist’s elegant mats and coasters help us stay stylish even when we’re messy. The FDA-grade hand-silk-screened silicone is designed for optimal functionality with an easy-to-clean surface.

Modern Twist Placemats and Coasters

How cute is this!

Eames Elephant, Charles and Ray Eames 1945 by Vitra

Originally designed by Charles and Ray Eames in molded plywood, this adorable child’s stool/table/toy/best friend is now produced by Vitra in several different colours of plastic.   See more about Vitra Elephant by Charles and Ray Eames.

Flensted Mobiles are beautiful, humorous and reflect a more modern approach to accessories.

Originally Flensted Mobiles were sold in bookshops and craft centres. Today, they are sold predominantly through museum and gallery gift outlets, contemporary furniture and design stores and children’s shops, and enjoy an international success.

All Flensted Mobiles are hand-made in Denmark, and offer high quality at a moderate price. Elements are assembled and packed by about 50 skilled home-workers and their families. Many of the original Flensted Mobiles are still in production, but the contemporary designs are now the bestsellers. Ole Flensted is the chief designer, but for introducing new ideas often works in conjunction with artists.

Flensted Mobiles are modern yet timeless, often abstract, brightly coloured and unaffected by fashion, qualities which enable them to hang and give inspiration for many years.

In the coming months, our blog will be featuring products from Alessi’s list of their 100 best products. Stay tuned!

A couple prefix notes.  One from Alberto Alessi – “Decipher your own Modernity”:

Alberto Alessi - Alessi CEO

Since time immemorial, my family has been firmly established on Lake Orta.  In this poor, narrow valley in the Italian Alps, close to Switzerland, a long-standing tradition in wood and metal handicraft has survived up to this day.

Within the Alessi Company, design in the current sense of the term began to gain a foothold under my father Carlo, who drew on his training aas an industrial designer in order to develop virtually all of the products which appeared in our catalogues bewteen 1935 and 1945.  In the 1950s, my father replaced my grandfather (who fonded the factory in 1921) as corporate general manager, giving up altogether his activity as a designer and increasingly relying on the contributions of freelance designers, in accordance with the practice which was to become typical of all “Ittalian Design Factories”.  To this day, Alessi products are still considered as being handicraft items made with the aid of machines: by this I mean that, even though we rely on contemporary, industurial, technology and processing equipment, at depth of price – the one I beleive we ought to stick to – our inherent attitude is still rooted in handicraft culture.

When speaking about the “Italian Design Factories” I am referring to a historical group of companies for whom design is a mission, an activity which has become a sort of overall philosophy, a “Weltanschauung”, undelying all of these companies’ operational steps: we believe that our true nature comes closser to a “Research Lab in the Applied Arts” than to an industry in the traditional sense of the term: A Research Lab in the Applied Arts, the role of which is to mediate contrinually between the most advanced and stimulating expresions of international creative culture on the one hand, and the public’s requirements and dreams on the other.  A lab that should be as open and dedicated to the world of creation as possible.

The right type of contribution that an industry such as Alessi can make to the cilised devlopment of the consumer society is to be an artistic mediator, attemping to create new ojects, introducing a touch of transcendency, helping us decipher our own modernity.

Alberto Alessi

And one from Francesca Oldrini – “Design Classics”:

Some people have them in their homes and don’t even see them.  Some people find them in the attic, amongst old junk, and out of nostalgia, inpired by fond membories, clean them up and put them in the living room.  We are talking about household goods or to be precise tableware: objects which form an essential part of our daily lives…

Humble, unpretentious, so familiar they have become prosaic.  Yet the Alessi family, who have been producing them since 1921, have managed to transform these jugs and trays into design classics, and some are even beginning to hail them as works of art…

Francesca Oldrini

All content is copyright Alessi and contributing writers.

Our store continues to grow and we are striving to meet the demand for unique holiday and gift ideas.

We are pleased to offer more then 1000 products just added to the Alessi line.

Every year I hear holiday gift ideas that sound extra creative and fun. Then the day comes when I need a unique gift idea and every clever thought goes right out of my head!  That is where Alessi can fill the void… they have such wonderful everyday products with a designers twist!

Please feel free to contact us any time. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have concerning a particular product from our increasingly growing manufacturers list.

Last but not least, we have added a new category to the site, Bar and Wine – filled with offerings for entertaining your guests and family this summer.

I hope that you enjoy our store and that you will come back to see us again soon!

Additional Alessi