High style for the holidays

A variety of design-friendly gifts with wow appeal

The Christmas countdown is unstoppable now, so for those of you still searching for gifts for family and friends (that would be me and I suspect more than a few of you), here are some design-friendly gift ideas that may point you in the right direction.
I always seem to think of the many products of housewares giant Alessi at this time of year. Perhaps that’s because of their perennial Christmas-centred advertising, but the Omegna-based firm also boasts a line-up of everyday houseware items that combine high design value with either purity or a sense of humour. Much of their catalogue is higher-end priced, but they also offer more affordable items. In terms of pure design, one of Alessi’s recent best offerings is a new espresso maker by design veteran Richard Sapper. This new stovetop stainless steel coffee maker has a minimalist design that echoes Sapper’s acclaimed 9090 coffee maker for Alessi, which earned a Compasso d’Oro award for the manufacturer and designer in 1979.
At the whimsical end of the spectrum, Alessi has always shone with products such as Alessandro Mendini’s Anna G corkscrew and Stefano Giovannoni’s cartoon-like Girotondo series of tableware and accessories. In that same vein, the company has released a series of porcelain figurines for this Christmas, including the Hal Freddo snowman and Christmas Cowboy, a light-hearted portrayal of Santa Claus and one of his reindeer. Both were designed by Massimo Giacon and the LPWK design studio.
For serious coffee lovers on your gift list, a good choice is the Bialetti Moka Express, an industrial design classic created in the 1930s that has been a common sight in Italian households for generations. If they-already-have-one is a problem here, another choice may by Bialetti’s newer Mukka Express, a cappuccino maker with a quirky cow graphic motif. Kitchen and tableware producer Guzzini makes the Coco and Zaza coffee makers, designed by Angeletti Ruzza. Both models are metal with bright plastic handles.Macerata-based Guzzini also commissions work by respected designers such as Giorgetto Giugiaro, Ross Lovegrove, and Ettore Sottsass.
Reflective personality types may appreciate receiving a Moleskine notebook, a famous brand of high-quality stationery first produced in 19th century France. It was the notebook and sketchbook of choice of creative legends such as Van Gogh, Picasso, and Hemingway. The brand went dormant for about a decade before it was re-introduced in 1998 by small Milan publisher Modo & Modo. The company also produces Moleskine guidebooks for cities such as Rome, London, and Madrid and just last month added Florence, Venice, and Montreal guides to their product line.
This week’s winter solstice signals longer days ahead, but in the meantime functional indoor lighting is a must. Modern Italian lighting design is legendary and though much of it is higher end, many designs are more affordable. Vico Magistretti’s famous Eclisse lamp for Artemide, for example, is a relatively modest buy considering its history. Magistretti’s Compasso d’Oro award-winning design is the epitome of a 1960s Space Age aesthetic, though it was actually modeled on a traditional lantern. Another gift choice for an Italian lighting aficionado may be Artemide’s Nessino table lamp, a plastic version of the company’s famous mushroom-shaped Nesso lamp, also first produced in the 1960s. The manufacturer Kartell is best-known for its innovative plastic furniture, but the Milan area company also produces lighting.
Ferruccio Lavia-ni’s affordable Take lamp for Kartell is a modern spin on a traditional design and the market appearance of copycat designs seems to confirm its design innovation.
Kartell also produces an inexpensive Philippe Starck design that I like for its simplicity – the reversible Prince Aha chair/stool. The hourglass-shaped polypropylene seat is available in white and pastel shades of orange, yellow, green, and blue.
If you’re a fan of affordable designer seating, you may also want to consider Karim Rashid’s new plastic OK chair for Toronto manufacturer Umbra. The Canadian company established a solid reputation with its design and manufacture of quality plastic housewares and its product line-up now includes metals and woods and higher-end furniture.
They also produce a good selection of wall clocks, such as Toronto designer Michelle Ivankovic’s modernist Ribbon clock.
Good luck in your gift search and a very Merry Christmas to all.

Publication Date: 2007-12-16
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=7930