Chiara Alessi's 'Tante care cose' tells the stories behind 74 everyday design objects

Design critic and historian Chiara Alessi has published 'Tante care cose' (Longanesi, Milan, 2021), a book that recounts the stories of 74 everyday objects that have shaped Italian life. The project originated during the first COVID-19 lockdown, when Alessi began posting daily two-minute-twenty-second videos on Twitter under the name 'Design in pigiama' (Design in Pajamas). Using a colloquial, conversational tone, she discussed objects like the Grillo telephone by Richard Sapper and Marco Zanuso, the Cifra clock by Gino Valle, the Bacio Perugina packaging, the Nutella jar, and the Rompitratta switch. The videos quickly gained traction, quintupling her followers and even attracting mainstream television coverage. The book abandons technical jargon and philosophical reflection in favor of simple, emotional language, historical references, and personal memories. Illustrations by Paolo d'Altan sketch the objects lightly, aiming to trigger readers' own memories rather than describe the items in detail. Alessi's approach seeks to make design history accessible to a broad audience, arguing that understanding the stories behind everyday objects is a civic duty. The book is 264 pages, priced at €18.90.