Alessi, the world-renowned manufacturer of inspired design objects, opened its latest store in Montreal — at 2085 rue Crescent — on April 8. Alessi Montreal features products from the company’s vast catalog of 3,000-plus design objects for the home, table, kitchen, office and more. The shop is Alessi’s first company store to open in Canada and will pave the way for the opening of other Alessi stores throughout major cities in Canada in the future.
The new store carries products from all three divisions of Alessi (AdiAlessi, Alessi and Officina Alessi), with particular emphasis on displaying pieces that highlight the commitment to design innovation that has long been synonymous with the Alessi name. The roughly 800-square-foot store marks the North American debut of the new Alessi display concept, which was introduced at the Design Supermarket in Milan’s La Rinascente department store on a project by Stefano Giovannoni for the first time in July 2009.
The walls outlining the space are covered with high-perimeter panels in sheet metal, into which are cut gigantic icons of Alessi cult products. On the panelling, the cut-out icons create a texture that lends itself to the attachment and articulation of the glass shelves displaying the products, which can be easily fixed in different positions and at different heights. A system of horizontal tables affixed with a series of glass shelves in different shapes and heights defines the central space. An elegant matte sand color unifies the floor, perimeter panels and furnishings and becomes the background for refined steel objects and colorful plastic items.
“Many Canadian Alessi aficionados never find the complete Alessi range in a Canadian retailer,” says Joey Occhiuto, president of Zidea Design Canada Ltd., the exclusive importer for Alessi products in Canada. “Therefore, our decision to make this investment was to give the customer the full Alessi experience to shop and enter the Dream Factory. The new Alessi shop will offer our customers a personalized service, Bridal List, free wrapping, personalized delivery, and much more.”
Says Paolo Cravedi, managing director of Alessi in North America, ” We are extremely excited to open the first Alessi Store in Canada. We are confident that Montreal will be an ideal setting for our brand and that the city’s sophisticated shoppers will find our store to be the perfect source for their shopping. I am particularly grateful to Joey Occhiuto and his Team at Zidea Design Canada for their support and passion for our brand.”