For 24 years the house of Alessi in Milan was the store on Corso Matteotti, originally designed by Ettore Sottsass and later renovated by Atelier Mendini. Nevertheless, last week Alessi opened a totally new store conceived by design star Martí Guixé.

The project follows the collaborations for the Shop Museum in Paris and the recent experience of their exhibition at the Triennale Design Museum. Just a short walk from Montenapoleone, the store is located in via Manzoni, close to the metro station La Scala Theatre and the beautiful Poldi Pezzoli Museum.

Divided into four different sections, the space includes a large entrance overlooking Via Manzoni and an area called Museum to display the most sculptural objects in a gallery-like setting. A retail section is reminiscent of the old space, though turned upside down, and "Wunderkammer" hosts new collections and curiosities. Each section has its own strong character, with different lighting systems custom-designed by Guixé himself and produced by Danese.

The predominant colors are glossy red, shiny white and grey, while the materials are mainly aluminum, ceramic, resins and wood. The result is a perfect mixture of Alessi spirit and a design gallery.