Grinding pepper and cracking chestnuts open aren’t typically moments that spark joy, that is, until now. Expanding the Twergi collection for their spring/summer 2024 launch, Italian brand Alessi is re-releasing a pepper mill and a nutcracker designed by Ettore Sottsass that vibrantly showcase the iconic designer’s renowned poetics when it comes to articulating design narratives. The two wooden objects were originally launched with Alessi in 1989, but are so forward-thinking one might assume they were created today – a testament to one of Italy’s most avant-garde designers.
This release offers bold, new colorways, something Sottssass was known for, alongside the original version.
The Twergi additions are made in Italy using sustainably sourced, FSC-certified wood. A partly hand-crafted turning process creates the precise and smooth edges. The colorful paints are water-based, completely solvent-free, and food safe. With their modern expression, the pepper mill and nutcracker double their functions as sculptural objects while being a handy tool in the kitchen.
The current collection of Twergi designs are available via alessi.com, with the new additions coming soon.
Photos by Riccardo Gasperoni.
