Nostalgia & whimsy in Alessi’s holiday collection
Alessi’s fall-winter collection features the manifestation of the seasons and the transition of the times
William Alsop and Federico Grazzini design the Grind, a pepper, salt, and spice grinder. Declared a “sense of suitability” by its creators, the Grind uniquely houses the grinding mechanism upward instead of downward. This leaves the table clean without any dregs of ground pepper or herbs.
Valerio Sommella marries the sentiments of steel with its own reflections of light. Inspired by his travels around the world, this Milanese designer beautifies common kitchenware into extravagant seamless designs. These include the curvy singular shape of the Bulla bottle opener, the piscine form of the Boga ginger grater, and the plump body of the Koka ice cream spatula. He likens his own life experiences to his created treasures, that is, understanding each piece and knowing how to use them is part of the adventure.
The Brigata kitchen cutlery line features six kitchen utensils that merge style and function. The selection includes a skimmer, a kitchen fork, a spatula, a ladle, a sauce spoon, and a kitchen spoon, all made with stainless steel. For the design starting point, there are the nifty precision handles, which are hollow and round; thus, making them light and comfortable to hold. A hook at the end allows for easy storage when not in use.
Sommella traverses the minimalist route in devising the Bibo tea and coffee accessories set. With sleek curved lines and unassuming pieces, the set has a two-fold purpose either for hotels and bars or for the home. There is a napkin holder and a sugar sachet holder for professional use, while a biscuit tin and a sugar bowl are available for domestic use. Contained in a small tray with a central shaft handle for effortless lifting, the design is compact and smooth.
In homage to the late Italo-Austrian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass, the popular Twergi bowl is re-designed for the maestro by Alberto Alessi. One hundred years after Sottsass’ birthday, which is on September 14, 1917, Alessi still feels the lasting impression of his mentor, dubbed as the guru of radical designs. The Twergi line — twergi meaning ‘‘dwarf’’ or ‘‘forest ghost’’ in the dialect of the Strona Valley — was initially created by Sottsass in 1990, featuring elements of warm wood and vibrant colors. With only 999 pieces available, this limited-edition limewood centrepiece with bright red base is a special handcraft birthday gift for the late revolutionary designer.
The Extra Ordinary Metal series revisits the rich hundred-year history of Alessi in processing the different ages of metal from the pewter and nickel silver of the past, to mid-era of brass and copper, and finally, to the steel of today. Returning to its malleable brass roots, Alessi develops the new-age Etruscan granulation — a sophisticated technique welding gold or silver spheres onto metal foil. The process also embodies the Golden Ratio that governs shapes in nature, through the Fibonacci sequence by the eponymous Italian mathematician. The result is a series of exemplary trays and baskets in brass.
It’s a magical winter wonderland as Christmas fairytale classics come to life with Antonio Aricò’s Blue Christmas visualization. The romance between the toy soldier and the ballerina, the luminescence of the angel and the star, and the classic imagery of Father Christmas with his reindeer are three classic Christmas tales. These six characters are imprinted on mugs painted blue and made of fine bone china. Aricò also offers blown glass Christmas baubles highlighting the six characters mentioned. The round ornaments have a mirrored blue base, which is flat so it can be placed on the table as festive designs or hung on the Christmas, windows, or doors. Rounding up the collection are three hanging Christmas figurines. Made of porcelain, these feature the toy soldier, the ballerina, and the reindeer. The interplay of whites and blues, the soft and dark hues echo the dream-like nature and surrealism of winter days.
Michael Boucquillon and Donia Maaoui create expressive nostalgic designs with Bark for Christmas, which expands its 2015 Bark collection.
In addition to that, Boucquillon and Maaoui augment their collection further with evocative touches of the Barksled. Father Christmas on his sled as he is pulled by reindeer, is the charming image of this precious tealight holder. With cozy tealights, the Barksled definitely sets up the warmth and cheer of the holidays.
Marcello Jori marries his style with the famous czar jeweller, Peter Carl Fabergé. Echoing the love of the Russian czars for their wives, the Faberjori are six handdecorated porcelain home ornaments with glittering enamel embellishments.
Initially designed by Stefano G io van noni and Guido Vent uri ni in the late 1980s, the Girotondo is a little cartoon man shaped like the paper-chain cut-outs popular among children.
Check out the complete Cutlery Universe collections at Alessi stores in Bonifacio High Street, BGC; Greenbelt 5, Makati, and Ayala Cebu.