"The Bombé coffee set has a strong visual impact and thanks to this it became the article that Alfra based the relaunch of its production in the post war periods, after the obligatory stay on war and bargain articles.

Designed by Carlo Alessi Anghini in 1945 it was spun in four sizes and consists of a coffee pot, teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl and tray all with bakelite handles, but previously it included other items such as a shaker, an ice bucket, a wine cooler and a bar sugar bowl.  At first (1945-1963) the material was heavy chromed or silver plated brass but later (1963-1973) stainless steel was employed.  The Bombé line embodies the transition from the handicraft to the industrial dimension, namely from lathe to the press.....

The Bombé is a coffee set clearly identified as a product the post war socio-cultural climate, and, as such, represents a phenomena of design and custom which ties in with the ealier period of development of Italian design - the heavy brierwood veneer furniture, the supple curves of the Vespa, the Isetta, the first Arflex armchairs and the typewriters by Nizzoli.

Carlo Alessi introduced himself as a designer in the post war climate by creating a set of interesting objects of remarkable aesthetic value, anything but classical, seemingly bloated and exaggerated.

Viewed with today's eyes, the Bombé style reminds one also of "pop" and it is evident that its points of reference are to a whole "Bombé" morphological history of coffee pot design: the famous semi-spheric 1880 teapot by Dresser or the 1881 Sheffield silver sugar bowl made up of spheres (see the face and ears of Mickey Mouse) and the more recent 1924 functional tea sets by Rittweger and Albers with extensive use of "Bombé" parts and bakelite handles.

For its remarkable image that ranks it amongst the best forms of a hypothetical morphological history of coffee sets, for the historical precision with which it found its place in the market, for its thirty year period of life in the market itself and for the qualitative jump it encouraged in the output of the company, the "Bombé" may be considered as a "symbol" of the history of Alessi production."    Alessandro Mendini, Paesaggio Casalingo, Milan 1979

Product details -

Teapot

• Brand - Alessi Officina
• Designer - Carlo Alessi
• Year of Design - 1945
• Material - Mirror polished 18/10 stainless steel with handle and knob in bakelite
• Dimensions - height 15cm, length 23cm, width 13cm
• Capacity - 122 cl (8 cups)
• Gift boxed

The Bombé tea set has since then become a collectors item and is found in stylish homes, restaurants and hotels around the world