Forty Years on: Alessi's 9093 Kettle in Matt Black
Some objects don't just serve a function - they become part of design history. For Story 16 of our 25-year series, we turn to Alessi and one of the most recognisable objects in contemporary design: the 9093 kettle, created by Michael Graves, now marking its 40th anniversary with a striking new all-black edition.
Alessi returns to DMI's collection in 2026 - a partnership we're genuinely pleased to continue, given the brand's extraordinary design legacy.
The Dream Factory
Since 1921, Alessi has described itself as "The Dream Factory" - a place where the most fascinating visions of international creativity meet everyday life. Over the past century, Alessi has collaborated with more than 900 world-renowned designers, architects and artists. building a catalogue of over 1,400 creations, many of which now sit in the world's most important design museums.
At the heart of Alessi's philosophy is a simple but ambitious idea: that art, poetry and emotion belong in daily routine, not separate from it. It's a philosophy built on collaboration, craftsmanship and a willingness to work at the edge of what's possible - and the 9093 kettle is one of its clearest, most enduring expressions.
Editor's takeaway
Forty years on, the 9093 kettle remains one of design's great icons, still finding new expressions four decades after it first captured the public's imagination.
Michael Graves and the birth of an icon
The story of the 9093 kettle begins with the Tea and Coffee Piazza project in the late 1970s - an experimental collaboration between Alessi and a group of architects, designed to translate large-scale architectural language into small, everyday objects. Michael Graves, born in Indianapolis in 1934, and a founding member of the influential "New York Five", brought a formal language all his own: a blend of European tradition, Art Deco, American Pop Art and echoes of pre-Columbian culture.
That distinctive vision found its fullest expression in the 9093 kettle - that piece would carry Graves' work into homes everywhere, and go on to define his relationship with the brand. Graves, an architect behind buildings including the Portland Building, the Humana Building, and Disney's Dolphin and Swan Hotels, brought the same instinct for character and warmth to this small object that he brought to his largest works. He passed away in 2015, but the 9093 remains one of the most beloved pieces in Alessi's entire catalogue.
The same silhouette, dressed in different colours over four decades.
A new edition, forty years on
To mark the kettle's 40th anniversary in 2025, Alessi introduced an elegant new all-black edition - a tribute to the object's enduring design. The deep black finish gives the kettle's unmistakable silhouette a new intensity, while creating a striking contrast against the small orange bird-shaped whistle, taken directly from Graves' original colour palette.
Crafted from coloured stainless steel with a handle and whistle in PA, the kettle has a magnetic steel base, making it suitable for induction as well as traditional stovetops. It holds 200 cl, stands 22.5 cm tall, and is made in Italy.
Matt Black, with the signature orange bird.
A lasting idea
The 9093 kettle is a reminder that great design doesn't need reinvention to stay meaningful - sometimes it simply needs the right new expression. Forty years after it first announced Michael Graves as one of design's most distinctive voices, the Matt Black edition proves the same idea still holds - a truly considered object can find new life again and again, without ever losing what made it iconic in the first place.
We're delighted to welcome Alessi back to our collection, and to share a design story that has already spanned four decades - with, we hope, many more still to come.
Quick roundup
Partnership - Alessi returns to DMI's collection in 2026.
Designer - Michael Graves (1934 - 2015), architect and founding member of the "New York Five."
The object - The 9093 kettle, the piece that carried Graves' work into homes everywhere, following his earlier Tea and Coffee Piazza collaboration with Alessi.
The edition - Matt Black, marking the kettle's 40th anniversary in 2025; coloured stainless steel with a PA handle and bird whistle, magnetic base suitable for induction and traditional stovetops.
Dimensions - Height 22.5 cm, diameter 22 cm, capacity 200 cl. Made in Italy.
Still finding new expressions.
Continue the 25-year design story
Alessi's 9093 kettle is Story 16 of 25 - a design history chapter in a series that continues to explore the ideas, objects and partnerships shaping Design Mode International's design story.