Alessi 90 Year Collection

Alessi celebrated 90 years of innovative design by many of the world’s most renowned designers with a special collection of their most iconic products over the 9 decades. Each piece is stamped with the number “90″, the designer’s name, and the year it was originally produced. Beginning with the eternally classic cocktail shaker and ending with Mario Trimarchi’s modern centerpiece, this is a group of objects to make a design collector’s mouth water.

UTA1391 90 Cocktail Shaker, Ufficio Tecnico Alessi

MT03 90 Centerpiece by Mario Trimarchi for Alessi

UTA407 90 Beer Tray, Ufficio Tecnico Alessi

9090/6 90 Espresso Maker, Richard Sapper for Alessi

PSJS 90 Juicy Salif, Philippe Starck for Alessi

9093 90 Kettle, Michael Graves for Alessi

50 90 Sugar Bowl, Carlo Mazzeri and Anselmo Vitale for Alessi

55 90 Sugar Bowl, Carlo Mazzeri for Alessi

826/24 90 Wire Basket, Ufficio Tecnico Alessi

These pieces have been branded as a special and limited edition right through to the packing. Each piece is carefully wrapped in a unique box and labelled “Looking ahead to the next 90 years”.

With gift season upon us, Gabriel Ross is stocked with each item available individual purchase and also available as a set of 9. Treat your design savvy friend with a collector’s piece to be treasured for another 9 decades.

View the collection on our website, here.

image credit: www.chi-athenaeum.org

The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design has honored 5 Alessi products with their prestigious “2010 GOOD DESIGN” award: a 60 year old pretigious program of acknowledging design excellence all over the world. The 5 products that received the award include: “Tonale” Table Set by David Chipperfield (2009), “Try it Trivet” by Dror Benshetrit (2009), “Essentiel de Pâtisserie” Cake Plate by matali crasset (2010), “La Via Lattea” Cheese Knives by Anna and Gian Franco Gasparini (2009), and “La Stanza dello Scirocco” basket by Mario Trimarchi (2009)

Tonale Tableware by David Chipperfield for Alessi

Tonale, by David Chipperfield was inspired by Asian ceramics and a desire to refine utilitarian household products. The colour way in these pieces is exquisite… largely neutral and muted in over all appearance but each colour is unique and beautiful. They also have a wonderful matte finish which allows the surfaces to absorb light in a soft and gentle way.

Try it Trivet by Dror Benshetrit for Alessi

Try it Trivet by Dror Benshetrit is a clever and fun series of circular trivets that can be joined together to create on snakelike support for warm objects on the table. This is a versatile kitchen tool that is bound to incite conversation at the dinner table.

Cake Plate by Matali Crasset for Alessi

Matali Crasset’s cake plate is another design that works with multiple units. It consists of two rings that fit inside of the each other and one small circle that nests in the centre of the inner ring. It can be used in multiple ways for desserts large and small but whatever size your sweets are, they will most certainly end up looking intriguing and delicious on this pedestal.

La Via Lattea Cheese Knife by Anna and Gian Franco Gasparini for Alessi

The blades of the La Via Lattea cheese knives were specially engineered for specific density cheeses. The organic shapes and wooden handles make them beautiful as objects in addition to their functionality.

La Stanza dello Scirocco basket by Mario Trimarchi for Alessi

La Stanza dello Scirocco basket by Mario Trimarchi is inspired by the Sicilian wind blowing objects across the countryside. I like to look at these pieces like a graphic image in 3D. The way the light reflects on each little rectangular cut out is mesmerizing as each one seems to be on a different angle in space.

Congrats to Alessi! We look forward to hearing more about these products and much more from them in the future.

Find Alessi on our website, here.
Visit Alessi’s webiste, here.
Read more about the GOOD DESIGN awards by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, here.

In case you haven’t noticed… Christmas is nearly here! Considering my lack of posts over the last couple of weeks, one might think that I have been busy shopping shopping shopping and have my list completely checked off. Yah … not so much. I do have a couple of things sorted out (she says secretively, careful not to divulge any surprise agendas), but I also have a couple/few/most gifts still to buy. Eep! Anyone sympathetic to my pre-Christmas anxiety due to, oh I don’t know, perhaps their own poor planning and tendency to procrastinate, might find some peace of mind at gabrielross.com.

We have lots of great modern gift ideas in stock starting as low as $10.00!

Blomus Flex Trivet $10.00

Alessi Anna G Corkscrews, $60.00

Blomus Stainless Steel Business Card Case, $22.00

Viking Hand Blender, $138.00

Iittala Aalto Votive, $20.00

George Nelson Sunburst Clock, $385.00

Iittala Taika Mini Mug Ornaments, set of 4, $23.00

These are just a few examples of the great products featured on our gift ideas page. There is something for everyone, so don’t fret my fellow last minute shoppers! Gabriel Ross has us covered.

See these and other great gift ideas on gabrielross.com here.

Alessi supports high design for Max and Boots in their “Lupita” dog bowl and “Tigrito” cat dish by Miriam Mirri.

Lupita Dog Bowl, Miriam Mirri 2002 for Alessi

From Alessi’s website: Dog bowl in PP with 18/10 stainless steel insert , orange. Formal language, loaded with references to affectiveness and Miriam Mirri’s “Children Code”, is here used to create an object for our four-legged friends.

Tigrito Cat Dish, Miriam Mirri 2007, for Alessi

Lupita: available in blue and orange, and Tigrito: available in grey, blue and yellow, these cat dishes add a splash of colour to any kitchen corner and some fun sophistication to your pet’s dining experience.

Visit our website for details on the Lupita dog bowl here.
Visit our website for details on the Tigrito cat bowl here.
Visit Alessi’s website here.

Dr. Skud by Philippe Starck for Alessi

My co-worker recently introduced me to Dr. Skud. She is really quite amazing. I love that Philippe Starck applied his design savvy to an everyday object like a fly swatter and that Alessi made it  accessible to all at a price of $17.00 on our website. The face image that’s created by pin holes through the swatter, varies depending on lighting and what angle you view her at.

Dr. Skuds

The small, but functional, tripod stand makes it easy to display, as this is not a fly swatter that you will want to hide under the kitchen sink.

Dr. Skud feet

Totally utilitarian, with a unique twist, this is the perfect gift for the host that already has it all, or for … me!  (here’s to hoping my friends and family are fans of this blog)

Dr. Skud

Meet Dr. Skud on our website here.

Imagine this happy little guy keeping you company while you scrub up after dinner.

Pino funnel by Stefano Giovannoni & Miriam Mirri, 1998

Designed by Stefano Giovannoni & Miriam Mirri, 1998, for Alessi, Pino is great for transferring liquids flawlessly and inspiring warm fuzzy feelings while you do it.  You absolutely cannot help but smile back when you meet this fun and playful kitchen accessory.

Featured on our gift ideas page, this cutie is only $22.00 and would make a great stocking stuffer**

**beware of nose protrusions while stuffing

Today we ran out of dish soap.  When I unscrewed the bottle to add some water to the little bit that remained, a million teeny tiny bubbles dashed into the air around me.

 Magic. 

 When the world throws magic at you during the most mundane tasks in life, this is truly a gift.  In other less lustrous times, we have to create our own magic amongst the dishes or surround ourselves with shiny distractions.  A few magical kitchen tools worth mentioning include…

Magic Bunny Toothpick Holder by Stefano Giovannoni for Alessi: 

(worth noting: this made a fine gift for my après dinner-gum conscious grandmother this Christmas)

Pino Funnel by Stefano Giovannoni & Miriam Mirri for Alessi:

Juicy Salif Lemon Squeezer by Philippe Starck for Alessi:

Big Love Ice Cream Spoon by Miriam Mirri for Alessi:

Bunny and Carrot Paper Towel Holder by Stefano Giovannoni for Alessi:

Alvar Aalto Cookie Mold by Iittala:

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

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