In 1980, Alberto Alessi wanted to show off his company’s manufacturing might. He hired 11 architects to design a sterling silver “Coffee & Tea Piazza,” which he would exhibit at galleries and museum shops. Despite its $25,000 price, Michael Graves tapped into public taste and his set sold best. From there, came the commission for the now famous 9093 kettle, as well as more than 150 other objects.
As described in the Harvard Business Review, unlike a kettle that simply signals that water is boiling, Graves’ whistling bird kettle is designed to bring users joy. And while the wide base of the kettle makes the water boil faster, Graves’ design “showed its greatest originality in broadening people’s expectation of what a kettle was and did and, indeed, the nature of the breakfast experience.”
Timeless charm and appeal
Shown in countless magazine features and movie sets, the little kettle has continued to charm the public ever since it was first launched and can be found in the permanent collections of museums and international institutions all over the world including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Australian National Gallery and the MuDe: Museum of Design and Fashion in Lisbon.
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Ben Wintner
Chief Executive Officer, Michael Graves Design
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Donald Strum
President, Michael Graves Design
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Rob Van Varick
Chief Design Officer, Michael Graves Design
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At Michael Graves we create design that clients dream of. We not only care about what we create we care about who we create it for.
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