The venerable Italian furniture brand Alessi is pleased to announce the grand opening of their new flagship store in Milan at Via Manzoni, 14-16. Alberto Alessi recounts the project and the brief to Catalan "artist/performer/ex-designer (as he calls himself)" Martí Guixé, who was responsible for (ex-?)designing Alessi's Paris store back in 2008:It still seeks to display the whole of what we call the 'Alessi encyclopaedia', that is, the entire range of different types of small household items that we have been designing and producing for ninety years...
I thought that Martí was the ideal person to provide a setting for Alessi's increasingly complex catalogues: a setting that would be refined as befits our role a manufacturer of Italian design, but also relaxed and certainly not dull and self-important.
In fact, the new flagship is intended both as a tribute to the Paris Shop Museum, as well as a "reference to Alessi classic shops." To this end, Guixé has divided the space into a series of distinct sections—Set, Museum, Shop and Wunderkammer—where "each section is strongly characterised by its own particular style, from the display elements to the different lighting systems, specially designed by Guixé himself and produced by Danese, to the geometric pattern traced on the ground."
The theatrical "Set" section of the single-floor space is visible from the Via Manzoni, followed by the "Museum," which overtly alludes to the Boulevard Raspail shop. "Shop" is the largest section, taking inspiration from the "wonder shop" concept developed by Alessandro Mendini for Alessi. "Wunderkammer" is a bit more difficult to describe:The Wunderkammer is the final and the most hidden and introverted section. It is a place of wonder where we can devote attention and appreciate even the smallest and most precious objects. The room is dark, from the floor to the walls, and the opal light, coming almost exclusively from the display elements, emphasises the value of the showcased pieces, just like those glass cases that host collections of rare insects in a museum of natural history.
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.