“There is no one room in my house that does not have an Alessi object; I was very surrounded until I moved out when I was 16 to study,” said Luca Alessi—fourth-generation member of the family that established the Italian home/kitchenware brand Alessi.

Luca, now Alessi’s international sales and development manager for Asia-Pacific, recently visited Manila and said it’s evident why Alessi enjoys steady success in the Philippines.

“It’s my first time to come here, but I can see the Philippines has a strong design heritage which I can see in the furniture and the huge number of interior designers,” Luca noted. “Filipinos are very attuned to the design and quality of products.”

Founded in 1921, Alessi was originally known as a manufacturer of metal objects. It wasn’t until the ’60s that it started collaborating with designers, morphing into a creative design house and gaining worldwide recognition.

Its first espresso-maker, “9090,” designed by Richard Sapper in 1979, was inducted into the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art (Moma).

Best-designed products
Luca picks five of the brand’s best-designed products which he thinks the avid Alessi collector or the first-timer should own.

1 “Juicy Salif” Citrus Squeezer by Philippe Starck

This juicer, which looks like a high-tech robotic spider in a sci-fi movie, is a conversation piece.

“This is our most iconic product and it celebrates our 25th anniversary this year,” Luca said.

2 “9090” Espresso Maker by Richard Sapper

“It is our first coffee-maker and it’s also in the permanent collection of Moma.”

3 “Anna G.” Corkscrew by Alessandro Mendini

“‘Anna G.’ was inspired by the then fiancee of Alessandro, who designed a beautiful woman as a representation of his love. A few years later, he made ‘Alessandro M.,’ which is himself, so they can go together.”

4 “9093” Kettle by Michael Graves

“This year marks its 30th anniversary, and it’s still one of our best-selling products.”

5 “9091” Kettle by Richard Sapper

“My personal favorite, this is our first ‘multisensory’ product, which is not just beautiful to the eyes, but also to the touch and to the ears. Ordinary kettles make a loud whistling sound when the water is boiling, but Richard wanted a special melody—music that resembles the steamboat whistle that would pass by his house when he was young. It was very complicated, but we managed to make it, and it was a very beautiful project.”

Alessi is at Bonifacio High Street, Taguig; and Greenbelt 5, Makati.