A new Alessi coffee maker looks like a screw and is designed by Philippe Malouin

The same familiar object — the same three pieces first fitted together almost a century ago — continues to live on through countless reinterpretations. Much of the credit goes to Alessi which since 1980, when the 9090 coffee maker by Richard Sapper was introduced, has entrusted the design of the moka pot to some of the most influential designers, including Alessandro Mendini, Aldo Rossi and Michele De Lucchi.

The latest addition has been designed by Anglo-Canadian designer Philippe Malouin, a graduate of the Design Academy Eindhoven. Known for collaborations with brands such as Flos and Zanotta, he was also recently behind the striking oversized sofa presented by Capsule during Design Week.

His interpretation of one of the most iconic Italian design objects pays tribute to the aesthetics of industry — not just as a final visual result, but as a core part of the design process itself. Malouin refers to “scrapyard works,” inspired by the scrap yards where parts from cars and other machines are collected and sorted. In a similar way, his research begins with discarded metal pieces that he recovers, recombines and reinterprets to give them a new life.

This approach led to Vite, a coffee maker whose poetic formal synthesis connects gesture and form. The boiler — the base of the moka pot — features a pronounced thread that directly evokes the twisting motion used to screw it onto the upper chamber.

The components are assembled in a harmonious composition, making the coffee maker’s form immediately legible and intuitive. At the base of the “screw,” a tapered pedestal reinforces the reference to industrial hardware while allowing the pot to be used on both gas flames and induction cooktops. The detail also recalls the boiler of Sapper’s 9090, whose shape was specifically designed to capture and distribute heat more efficiently. The aluminum object will be available in several color variations developed by sampling hues found inside the Alessi workshop itself — from the tones of machinery to other elements that define the factory environment.

All images: Alessi Vite. Courtesy Alessi