For almost a century Italian product design house Alessi has elevated household items above the perfunctory, injecting unexpected joy into the domestic landscape. The company’s characteristically playful approach has given birth to design icons including Alessandro Mendini’s smiley-faced corkscrew and Stefano Giovannoni’s sapling-shaped toilet brush. Collaborations with some of the world’s best-known product designers, such as Philippe Starck, have also shown that functionality and fun need not be mutually exclusive. But for the third-generation creative lead Alberto Alessi, who officially joined the company in 1970, a simple moka pot designed by his grandfather will always hold a special place in his heart.

---