Modern and contemporary design wouldn’t be the same without the unique input of Italian designers and manufacturers. Following ar some of our favorite objects of Italian designs, pieces the majority of Italian families have owned or used, and recognized throughout the world. Unsurprisingle, the majority of them is exposed at what’s maybe the most famous design museums in the world, MOMA in New York.
TOLOMEO
Tolomeo was born in 1987 as a table lamp, designed by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina. It became a best seller for Italian company Artemide and was awarded with the Golden Compass. An icon of absolute design for its lightness and purity of lines, it is inspired by the past spring bulbs reinterpreting the lines. Its shape has become an innovative object of great design and, even today, much loved. It is by far the most recognized designs by Artemide and one of their best-selling pieces. Interpreted in different versions, you can purchase the XXL model on Luxxdesign.com.
BIALETTI MOKA
Bialetti Moka first hit the Italian market in 1933 thanks to Alfonso Bialetti and really took off thanks to the efforts of Alfonso’s son, Riccardo Bialetti who made this little coffe maker one of the symbols of Italy. Today Bialetti Moka is exposed at MOMA in New York and at La Triennale of Milan as an iconic object of Italian design. For almost 100 years, Bialetti has been telling the values of Italian tradition through a series of aromas, colours and flavors that speak of home, daily rituals and conviviality. Read more about the charming story of this Italian brand on TheBlog.Luxxdesign.com. Buy your Bialetti moka on Luxxdesign.com and experience the original taste of Italian espresso.
CAMPARI BOTTLE
Campari Soda is one of the Italian aperitif icons till today. The sleek Campari bottle was created in 1932, with its unmistakable conical shape designed by Fortunato Depero. This unique design represents one of the most famous icons of Italian and international industrial design. The main feature of this little bottle is the absence of label with only the embossing of the brand name, to bring out the intense shades of red through the glass. It is the most famous bottle in the world, a culmination of an artistic partnership that began in the 1920’s, almost a century ago.
JUICY SALIF
Juicy Salif was designed by Philippe Starck for Alessi in 1990. It is one of the objects that represents excellence in design. After over 25 years, it’s still talked about and it is the most iconic juicer ever. It is exposed at MOMA in New York as a design icon, a promotional and commercial success. Its curious shape had led to years of speculation… Is it an artwork? Or a sculpture? Or a home accessory? Buy your Juicy Salif on Luxxdesign.com and decide for yourself.
BRIONVEGA RADIO
Brionvega Radio was created in 1962 by design masters Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper. An unusual portable radio signed by Italian electronics company Brionvega, also known as the “Cube,” it became an icon of style and design worth of a place at the MOMA of New York (another one!). Brionvega Radio is characterized by a simple and clean design and bright colours, a topical and functional object that stood the test of times and can stil be found in design lovers’ homes, where it adds a unique vintage feel.
LIVIA CHAIR
Livia Chair was designed in 1937 by design star Gio Ponti for Italian company L’abbate. A perfect chair with a timeless classicism. With its simple ad clean shape, Livia chair fits perfectly into any environment, bringing an element of fun into any room. A chair for everyday… from 1940 to the present! Buy Livia Chair on Luxxdesign.com.
CIFRA 3 CLOCK
Cifra 3 Clock was born in 1966 and is the clock design icon of ‘900 characterized by the unique paddle system. Designed by Gino Valle for Solari, it is recognized around the world as a true design object. Part of the permanent collections at MOMA in New York, Science Museum of London and La Tiennale of Milan. It was one of the five design objects chosen to celebrate Italian design between 1950 and 1975. Synonymous of style, originality and elegance.
LETTERA 22 OLIVETTI
Designed by Giuseppe Beccio and Marcello Nizzoli in 1950, typewriter Lettera 22 by Olivetti was one of the most successful products of the 1950s. It was awarded in Italy with the Golden Compass in 1954 and selected by Illinois Technology Institute as the best design product of the last 100 years. Part of the permanent collections of MOMA in New York and La Triennale of Milan, it remained on the market untill the mid-60s and reached the maximun annual production of over 200.000 units. Today it’s a true collector’s item.
VESPA
Vespa, patented on 23 April 1946 and the result of the union of two great minds, Enrico Piaggio and Corradino D’Ascanio, is another of the icons of Italian design. The name probably derives from an exclamation of Enrico Piaggio when he saw the product for the first time: “It looks like a wasp!” (Vespa is the Italian for wasp). Vespa is one of few products to be able to represent a particular social historical period, which marked the spreading of Italian costume and creativity of Italy all around the world. A design object, an icon, a true Italian pride, a myth that rode along us for more than half a century. Immortalized by movie masterpieces as Fellini’s “La dolce vita,” it has gained a place of honor in the permanent collections of La Triennale of Milan and MOMA in New York.
ARCO
Arco Lamp was designed in 1962 by architect duo Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos. It is one those unmistakable icons of Italian and international design, a timeless piece that any archi lovers dreams of having at home. The concept of this lamp is simplicity, which leads to reduce the design to a pure function of the object, the designers’ goal. Like all the best design pieces, Arco Lamp is the result of something simple that becomes something very iconic and refined. A design of global influence that led to the creation of a lamp that didn’t look like the others already on the market, a design inspired by a simple arch, in its name and shape.