Alessi, the Italian housewares and kitchen designer, has revamped its presence in Harrods, London. The new, minimalist space celebrates the department store with a flood of lush, British Green, glass display towers, and mirrors to reflect the bright, silver appliances.
This is the first shop designed by AMDL CIRCLE and Michele De Lucchi, but Alessi has frequently collaborated with the brand for concept designs and trade fairs. They’ve brought their cubicle-style booths to Maison&Objet in Paris and to Ambiente in Frankfurt. In 2022, they celebrated the brand’s 100th anniversary with “Alessi 100-001” at Fuorisalone. Most recently, the design studio showcased Alessi’s metalwork at “Alessi Ars Metallica” at Milan Design Week 2023.
Many of Alessi’s famed appliances are on dispaly in Harrods. Photo by Nick Caville, coutesy of Alessi.
“We designed the Alessi shop inside Harrods as a large house of cards: small modular panels alternating classic British racing green and mirror, combining in a sequence of inlays and reflections that allow for several configurations to showcase the precious and unique qualities of Alessi products,” Davide Angeli, deputy managing director of AMDL CIRCLE, said in a press release.
With the kaleidoscopic display, shoppers take in all the facets of Alessi’s delicate designs. One highlight is the 9090 coffee maker by Richard Sapper, which was the first espresso maker in Alessi’s collection. The design has remained unchanged since its 1978 debut. Its cylindrical kettle flares out like a bell, and the wide base helps distribute heat. The 9090 was Alessi’s first product exhibited at MOMA and won Italy’s prestigious Compasso d’Oro award.
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- Designers AMDL Circle and Michele De Lucchi said they were inspired by a house of cards. Photo by Nick Caville, courtesy of Alessi
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- The newly revamped Alessi inside of Harrods, London, designed by AMDL Circle and Michele De Lucchi. Photo by Nick Caville, courtesy of Alessi
A contemporary option, which fuses history and edgy design, is the 3909 Virgil Abloh Teakettle (2022). The late Abloh dipped into Alessi’s catalog and chose to reinterpret Michael Graves’s enduring Whistling Bird Teakettle, which debuted in 1985 and remains Alessi’s best seller. In the Virgil Abloh Securities rendition, the singing bird has been replaced by a vibrant purple basketball player who goes to dunk when the kettle pours.
With over 200 pieces in the Harrods shop, there is plenty more to choose from. If your coffee corner is already stocked, you may gravitate towards the whimsical Ballerina music box designed by Marcel Wanders, in which a circus elephant performs for a mouse, or the elegantly pleated pieces from the Plissé collection.
Photo by Nick Caville, courtesy of Alessi
With Alessi and Harrods synonymous for luxury, the refresh celebrates a 20 year partnership that will continue to entice shoppers with classic favorites and push the brands with new, expressive designs. Whether your kitchen maintains its function or needs an upgrade, you can count on Alessi’s emerald palace inside of Harrods.
