MT01 - La Stanza dello Scirocco Basket by Mario Trimarchi from Alessi

The La Stanza dello Scirocco range features geometrically irregular items made up of small rectangular splinters interlaced in an unstable balance. Designer Mario Trimarchi was inspired by the “ abstract and motionless atmosphere of a magic place: the room in large Sicilian country homes where one is forced to seek shelter from the sultriness while waiting for the scirocco to die down. It is a room without windows in which you can do nothing but ponder the wind that is undoing all sublunary things outside.” The collection's 2009 Basket offers a peek in to the images of shadows seen in such a room with an interplay of light and shadow between its airy form and the contents within. Select from Black epoxy, White epoxy and Mirror Polished finishes.

Alessi is a family owned Italian design company, founded in 1921. Giovanni Alessi, a talented sheet metal worker, produced items by hand for the table and home out of copper, brass and nickel-silver. He was later joined by his son Carlo who was responsible for many of the designs produced in the 1930s and early 1940s. In the mid 1940s Alessi began to work with outside designers. The current Alessi catalo is the result of a collaboration with over 500 designers from all over the world. A true work of design must be able to move people, to convey feelings, to trigger memories, to surprise, to go against the grain. From this point of view, design intended to conjure up images in people's minds, which makes them a bit happier, still has tremendous potential. --Alberto Alessi