Le projet historique d'Achille et Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, « Firenze », a été créé en 1965 pour l'exposition « La casa abitata » (La maison habitée) réalisée au Palazzo Strozzi à Florence. Pour cette exposition les deux designers avaient réalisé une salle à manger avec le strict minimum : une lampe, une table dressée et une horloge murale. Les couleurs et les chiffres romains font de cette horloge, un objet du quotidien très graphique et design, à intégrer dans une cuisine par exemple.
Italian designers and brothers Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni both studied architecture at Milan Polytechnic. The first graduated in 1937, and Achille, the last of the family, also graduated in 1944. He then joined his two older brothers in their design studio in Milan and, together, they developed design projects for Italian companies looking to revive their country's post-war economy. Their work stands out for its particular conception of products through a logical analysis of the functions that the object must fulfil and the means to achieve this. The design, which is very pure, comes next to enable the object to perform its functions. Between 1950 and 1960, the Castiglioni brothers designed a number of products for major brands such as Flos, which produced the Arco floor lamp, a design classic, and Zanotta, for which they created the famous Mezzadro stool with a tractor saddle. The death of Pier Giacomo in 1968 put an end to the collaborations. After the death of his brother, Achille continued to design but devoted most of his time to teaching design, first in Turin and then in Milan.
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ALESSI
In 1921, Giovanni Alessi founded the Italian company Alessi. Since 1929, the company has focussed on producing nickel- or silver-plated copper tableware. When Carlo Alessi, Giovanni's son, was appointed design director in 1935, handcrafting methods were replaced by industrial manufacturing. In 1955, the company began collaborating with world-renowned architects and designers such as Richard Sapper, Ettore Sottsass, and later, Philippe Starck and Marcel Wanders. Alessi makes design accessible by focussing on useful, humorous and visually appealing home accessories. Most of its products have become design classics that are sold and exhibited around the world.