When talking about Italian design, one of the first names that come to mind is Alessi. Founded in 1921 by Giovanni Alessi, this renowned Italian company has helped redefine the concept of everyday objects, making them true masterpieces of design. Among its most iconic products is the 9090 espresso coffee makera jewel of style and functionality.
Designed in 1979 by Richard Sapper, an internationally renowned German designer, the 9090 coffee maker has become a symbol of Italian design and has received numerous prizes and awards over the years. Among these is the Compasso d’Oro, awarded the same year it was released on the market and the first of a long series won by Alessi.
How the 9090 was born
1979 was a year full of novelty: one hundred years after the birth of Albert Einstein, the end of a decade full of history was celebrated. In the same year, the Walkman was invented, a portable stereo player that allowed people to listen to music while walking down the street. We were thus preparing to enter the 1980s to the rhythm of disco dance.
In that year, the Piedmontese company Alessi decided to entrust Richard Sapper the design of a cutlery set. Sapper, already well-known for his creations, which combined technical innovation, clean forms and creativity, accepted the offer. However, the project failed for production reasons: instead of the cutlery service, Alessi then proposed to the designer to make an espresso coffee maker.
At first, Sapper was not enthusiastic about the new proposal, but gradually allowed himself to be convinced by the possibility of incorporating some of the principles that were close to his heart into the design, such as that of creating durable objects. In fact, many of the coffee makers already on the market had various components made of plastics and were therefore subject to deterioration due to frequent use. Constant exposure to heat made it necessary to frequently replace the handle and other parts of the coffee maker, such as the cylinder for lifting the lid.
Thus was born the idea of a coffee machine made entirely of metal, with the exception of the filter gasket. A durable object with a clean and elegant design, equipped with a metal handle that allowed the machine to be closed hermetically and safely. Indeed, it was not uncommon in those days for traditional coffee machines to explode due to pressure. The new 9090 coffee maker thus remedied the problem, allowing coffee to be brewed safely.
The principles behind the design
To the principle of safety, made possible by a pressure regulation system that was much more efficient than that of traditional screw-top machines, the 9090 added handiness. The idea was to create a practical object that could be opened and cleaned with one hand and without excessive effort. The integral metal construction, then, guaranteed solidity to the handle and, as well as giving the machine an elegant appearance, avoided Alessi having to sell spare parts. Moreover, the object was designed to be mass-produced, thus lowering its production costs and, consequently, making it accessible to a larger number of buyers. This last aspect was of great interest to Sapper, who found it stimulating to work on mass-produced objects.
100% Made in Italy
What makes the Alessi 9090 espresso coffee maker so special is its clean and elegant aesthetics. The body of the coffee maker is made of mirror-polished stainless steel, which gives the object a luxurious and refined appearance. Its geometric shape is simple yet sophisticated, characterised by clear lines and balanced proportions.
The cold forging technique of 18/10 steel, the so-called stainless steel, is used for its manufacture: more than a hundred steps are required, but they are all very fast. The adoption of this process allowed Alessi to lower production costs, and to complete it all in-house. Even today, Alessi produces all its objects in the Crusinallo factory, guaranteeing purchasers a 100% Made in Italy.
A timeless object
Coffee is a real ritual: Italians and anyone who wants to adopt their ‘lifestyle’ know this well. For this reason, an espresso machine can never be missing in the home, and the Alessi 9090 continues to be one of the most coveted models for its elegance and relative affordability. Certainly, it is an elegant design object (it was the first Alessi product to enter the Permanent Design Collection of the MoMA in New York). But its functionality makes it a perfect object for everyday use. Sold in various sizes (1, 3, 6 or 10 cups) and with the possibility of adapting to the induction hob, it remains one of the brand’s best sellers, also due to its lower cost compared to other models offered by the company.
@Stiledesign. Reproduction reserved
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