Product Update: David Chipperfield’s Tonale for Alessi

Last week we stopped by the Alessi store in San Francisco and were delighted to find that a long-admired tableware collection—David Chipperfield’s Tonale—has evolved.

Tonale launched in 2009 in seven muted stoneware colors plus styles in crystalline glass, beechwood, and enameled steel—the materials and color palette a nod to the color studies of Italian painter Giorgio Morandi.

Paolo Cravedi, managing director at Alessi, walked us through the expanded collection.

Photography courtesy of Alessi.

Above: Tonale now comes in two new colors and two new shapes—pale blue and mint green, plus a stoneware tray and flower vase. The bottom of the new Tonale Flower Vase appears to melt into the tabletop, suggestive of the fluidity of a painting. Says Cravedi, the new colors and vases “offer you the chance to re-create a painting from Giorgio Morandi on your table—combining objects and shades in an original, artistic way.”

The new vase is shown here with Tonale Beakers and Mini-Cups ($18 each).

Above: Light gray has always been the anchor color of the Tonale collection—all dinnerware is available in that color—but most are now available in newly added light green and blue. Here, they’re shown alongside a Carafe ($42), a Carafe with Silicone Stopper ($70), and a Beaker ($18), all in crystalline glass.

Above: The tall stoneware Tonale Flower Vase comes in pale blue and is 12.5 inches tall; $150. The smaller vase, in pale green, is 8.25 inches tall; $130.

The new styles are expected to ship in late April but are already listed on Alessi’s Online Shop; sign up to be notified when new pieces arrive.

Above: Also new this season, an existing shape and existing color meet for the first time: The three-quart Tonale Large Bowl is now available in red earth; $55.

Above: The stoneware trays in light gray replace a dark green enameled steel tray launched with the collection in 2009. The new light gray Tonale Serving Tray is 14 inches wide and either seven inches or 10 inches long; $80 for small and $100 for the large.

For more, see Tabletop: Sanaa Architects for Alessi and Minimal Furniture by David Chipperfield. Visit our 2009 post on Tonale in Tabletop: David Chipperfield’s Tonale at Zinc Details.