Alessi won two 2013 GOOD DESIGN Awards for the MU Cutlery Set designed by Toyo Ito and the Liconi Centerpiece Bowl by Pierfrancesco Cravel.
"Alessi is honored to be recognized with two 2013 GOOD DESIGN Awards," commented Paolo Cravedi, Managing Director of Alessi USA. "We would like to thank the designers for such exciting and original projects and the Chicago Athenaeum for recognizing the creativity and innovative spirit of Alessi."
Japanese architect Toyo Ito continues to build his family of objects for the mise-enplace of the table. The fluid shapes of the delicate "KU" porcelain service, designed in 2006, are now complemented by the "MU" Cutlery set, which means "hexagon" in Japanese. The hexagonal section of the handle is created using a mold and the intricate manufacturing process involves various stages. The precision of the slim, full handle is reminiscent of the shape of Oriental chopsticks and contrasts with the rounded profiles of the spoons and the knife blades. The "MU" table service includes Table spoon, Table fork and Table knife, Dessert spoon, Dessert fork, Dessert knife, Pastry fork, Tea spoon, Coffee spoon and Mocha coffee spoon. The range also features four types of serving cutlery: Salad set, Ladle, Cake server, Serving spoon and fork.
The 'Liconi' centerpiece reproduces the morphology of a panorama of Valle d'Aosta, with its lake and surrounding mountains located in north western Italy. Manufactured in stainless steel with a polished finish using the technique of molding and stamping, it represents a major technical achievement in manufacturing. The item was envisaged as a miniature landscape that could be displayed irrespective of its use. Produced in association with the Valle d'Aosta region, the design is enhanced with a QR code and an URL engraved on the surface for accessing information and viewing images by the photographer Armin Linke and the video artist Virgilio Villoresi.