Alessi’s Spring/Summer 2016 Collection sees the venerable Italian housewares brand continuing its partnerships with international architects David Chipperfield UN Studio, and Michele De Lucchi. Featuring products by new collaborators and established designers, the new collection celebrates with variety and precision Alessi’s seminal role as a research lab in the applied arts.
First introduced in 2009, British architect David Chipperfield’s refined Tonale collection features an expressive purity of form and gently varying shades that give the everyday objects a personal feel. For 2016, Chipperfield—the master of minimalism—rounds out the series with new colours and two new designs: a flower vase and serving plate. Pale blue and pale green recalling water and the sky complement the existing earthy tones, and are now available for the cup, teacup, soup plate, bowl, salad bowl and new flower vases. The serving tray is available in light grey in two generous sizes, satinated on the outside to improve grip, and smooth on the inside for easy cleaning. Covering the middle ground between kitchenware and tableware, Tonale offers the chance to compose the table in an original and artistic way.
For the 2016 Spring/Summer Officina Alessi Collection, the Ribbon bottle rack was designed in collaboration with UN Studio, the Netherlands-based architecture office led by Ben van Berkel. Ten years after the Tea & Coffee Towers project with Alessi, UN Studio returns to explore the intriguing concept of infinity as expressed by the Moebius strip: a twisting geometric figure with a single side and edge. The technologically sophisticated concept is transformed into a delicately beautiful bottle rack. The lightness and fluidity of the design conceal a highly complex production process, possible only because of Alessi’s expertise in steel manufacturing. An original interpretation of a classic kitchen element, Ribbon comes in two versions: mirror-polished steel and Super Black.
In Michele De Lucchi’s fourth project with Alessi, the architect has created a poetic refuge for the things we care about. Cabin, a spacious but refined bamboo box, is a result of De Lucchi’s research into natural materials that retain their authenticity with age. Since 2004, the designer has handcrafted small wooden boxes in the shape of sculpted houses that embody the Italian architect’s minimalist style. Says De Lucchi of the design, “Homes contain very valuable things; they protect our affections, our stories, our secrets. They are containers of our lives.” Structurally simple yet extremely sophisticated, Cabin is a warm home to carefully store special items or important documents. A satin finish gives the box a natural feel, while the unique knots and grain of the bamboo make every piece one-of-a-kind.
Of these latest additions, Alberto Alessi says, “I continue to find that our process of refinement—the evolution of various typologies—guides us, project after project, to real improvement in our little world of household objects, and in today’s world, this is a fine sign of vitality and hope.”
For more information, please visit www.alessi.com.
