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

I learned this week that the white electric Michael Graves kettle is being discontinued by Alessi.  However, don’t panic little bird lovers… it will still be available in the classic blue and red.  Farewell white kettle…

Michael Graves electric kettle, white, for Alessi

OMG Christmas is coming! Gift shopping is easy at www.gabrielross.com – awesome, collectible, designer gifts with free shipping. Here’s my gift picks!

George Nelson clocks by Vitra such as the Ball Clock, Block Clock, Sunburst and Asterisk to name just a few. The Alessi Anna G. Corkscrew and the Alessandro Mendini Corkscrew both designed by Alessandro Mendini are so much fun with a choice of colours/patterns. Also, the Alessi toaster is like a piece of art on your countertop – designed by Giovannoni Stefano, it’s a beautiful, sleek, shiny stainless steel appliance with bun warmer! Let’s not forget the coffee fanatics with an Alessi 9090 Espresso Maker designed by Richard Sapper in 1979 . . . choose from different sizes, made of stainless steel, makes wonderful espressos on your stove top in minutes, the Italian way! Another great gift would be the Eames Hang-It-All by Herman Miller designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1947 is so much fun with it’s different colored balls and versatility. Let’s also add the Alvar Aalto Vases by Iittala made in Finland, ‘wavy’ mouth blown glass is modern and stylish for any home! And one more . . . the Viking Steak Knife sets! A gift box of four stainless steel steak knives, each knife weighted with such an amazing lightness – I love the beauty and feel of these knives! And if you really cannot decide what to get someone, send them a Gift Certificate and let them have fun choosing!!!

Dear Santa . . .