News + Trends
From trendy to political: 7 design highlights to marvel at
by Pia Seidel
House-shaped urns? Alessi shows what a farewell can look like
17.6.2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Pia Seidel
Alessi, known for transforming everyday objects into small works of art with a wink, is showing a different side for once. Their latest project? Urns. But not ordinary ones, of course.
While many kitchen brands focus on function and efficiency, Alessi brings what is often missing: moments of surprise. Their designs are like everyday props - from the squid lemon squeezer to the wizard toothpick mug. Even the most mundane things become a mini spectacle.
With the new collection «The (last) pot», the Italian design house ventures into a sensitive topic: the design of the «last vessel». Curated by Alberto Alessi and Giulio Lacchetti, the urn collection combines functionality, aesthetics and emotional depth.
Design for the farewell
Renowned designers from all over the world have created the collection. Their designs interpret the topic of farewell in a surprising way and were presented for the first time at Milan Design Week 2025
«I thought it was a good topic to surprise people», said Alberto Alessi in an interview with Dezeen. The idea of designing containers has always been central to the Alessi brand. With the urn, the company has now taken up a product category that has previously received little attention.
From bone to egg-shaped: the variety of designer urns
The house-shaped urns by Michele De Lucchi and Naoto Fukasawa are particularly striking. They take up the symbolism of the «last home» and lend the urn a poetic dimension.
Michael Anastassiades' egg-shaped metal urn and Philippe Starck's shimmering bone on a luminous cushion show the range of designs.
«The (last) pot» combines the signatures of ten renowned designers, including Philippe Starck, David Chipperfield, Daniel Libeskind and Audrey Large. Each piece tells its own story and invites you to reflect on farewells and memories.
Curated with depth
The collection was presented in the «Biblioteca Ostinata» in Milan. The calm, atmospheric installation, designed by Giulio Lacchetti, offered visitors the opportunity to experience design on an emotional level.
With «The Last Pot», Alessi proves that design can not only shape everyday life, but also the big topics in life - emotionally, aesthetically and surprisingly.
Header image: Pia Seidel
Pia Seidel
Senior Editor
Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.chLike a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.
