I’ve been a fan of Alessi and their Artful Luxury for Daily Living since the 1980’s.  Why? Because lets be honest, the Italians do it best when it comes to high quality design. They’re always on the forefront of cutting edge design,  from exquisite furniture to expensive sports cars, setting the trend for others to follow. Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, you’ve heard of those cars, right? And what about the  furniture of  Roche Bobois,  B&B Italia and Kartell… Italian is synonyms with passion.

Alessi began almost 100 years ago in 1921 when Giovanni Alessi, along with his brother,  founded FAO.  Giovanni’s eldest son Carlo joined the already highly regarded company in 1932. From the mid 1930’s to 1945, Carlo designed the majority of their collections.  In 1970 the founders grandson Alberto  joined the company and laid the foundation for ‘Alessi’ as we know it today, becoming one of the ‘Factories of Italian Design’.

So why is all of this history important? Because this is part of what you’re paying for when you purchase one of their products. I began collecting their  pieces over 25 years ago in the post-modern era of the 1980’s. My pieces still look as amazing today as the day I bought them,  which is why I’m such a huge fan of their work. They were ahead of there time then, therefore, they never look dated. Simple. Stunning. Modern.  And to keep their company on the forefront of design, they partner with established  designers and architects from around the world to create new artful fashion forward lines. There’s an old saying, you get what you pay for, and nothing could be truer when it comes to Alessi. They’re not a company of knock-offs, they’re the real deal, setting the bar for others to reach.

As some of you know, I’m a relatively new blogger.  Therefore, I was a bit apprehensive about walking into their store  unannounced at 313 N. Robertson with hopes of taking photos. Fortunately, the staff their was very cool and very kind and let me have at it with my little iphone. While I have some established favorites, it was very exciting to see some of their new merchandise. I’d rather have fewer things of high quality, than lots of cheap stuff. In a world where less is more… I can never have to much Alessi. To quote Arnold… I’ll be back.