Alessi: The Dream Factory

A comprehensive look at one of the most influential brands in design, which for decades has epitomized ingenious styling of objects for everyday use. Alessi has been described as a “dream factory,” creating products that are artful and poetic yet practical. This beautifully illustrated book details the emergence and success of designs that have since become authentic icons of the domestic landscape, presenting works by notable figures in the design world such as Ettore Sottsass, Achille Castiglioni, Richard Sapper, Alessandro Mendini, Aldo Rossi, Michael Graves, Philippe Starck, Enzo Mari, and Stefano Giovannoni. Their creations embody a thoughtful mixture of eccentricity, playfulness, irony, and elegance. This fascinating volume follows the evolution of the company and explains how certain products have come to be so successful, such as Michael Graves’s whistling 9093 tea kettle and Philippe Starck’s Juicy Salif juicer, which remain classics decades after their invention. This book is a must-have for design aficionados.

Alberto Alessi, president, is responsible for the third transformation of the company and is widely recognized for his groundbreaking contribution to the field of design. Philippe Starck has dubbed him the “marchant de bonheur” for the sheer pleasure he infuses in his creations. In addition to his design work, as chairman of the company Alessi, he is also a tireless contributor to the evolving debate on culture and the arts, and to the philosophy of design and contemporary living.