Alessi — 9090/6 | Richard Sapper 6-cup espresso maker

There is something inevitable about the form of the 9090. Not an aesthetic choice, but a necessity: every curve of the 18/10 stainless steel seems born from the very act of making coffee, from the rising steam, from the pressure that finds its way. The broad, stable base, the body narrowing upward with an almost architectural tension, the lid closing everything with tailored precision - all contribute to an object that sits on the heat like a sculpture and on the table like a manifesto. Richard Sapper designed it in 1978, and the 9090 immediately became something more than a coffee maker: it was the first Alessi product to receive the Compasso d'Oro, in 1979. Sapper - the same designer who would go on to shape the Tizio lamp for Artemide and the ThinkPad for IBM - had a rare ability to see functional things as living organisms, where engineering and beauty cannot be distinguished. Here, that vision is distilled into steel. The magnetic base, added in production to ensure compatibility with induction cooktops, in no way betrays the original spirit of the piece. We chose the 9090/6 for Stilmobili because it perfectly represents the kind of object we love to talk about: not simply useful, not simply beautiful, but necessary. It is the coffee maker for those who believe that even the morning ritual deserves the same care as a designed interior. Ideal in a contemporary kitchen, yet equally at home in an industrial loft or a kitchen with the warm grain of wood. Project notes: 18/10 stainless steel, magnetic base for induction. Capacity 30 cl, 6 cups. Diameter 12.5 cm, height 20.5 cm. Design: Richard Sapper, 1978. Compasso d'Oro 1979.