Animate Your Christmas With 2009 Alessi Figurines

This is the third year that designer Massimo Giacon has designed sweet little magical Christmas porcelain figurines for Alessi. With some additions to the line and some changes (e.g. the nativity scene went from white to red and has individuals characters you can add), they are still one of the cutest ways to add some whimsy to your holiday.

All the figures are made of white porcelain and subsequently decorated by hand, occasionally with the help of decalcomania. Their sizes match those in the previous collection, so if you already own some, these will fit right in!



Here's the new Alessi figurines for 2009, plus a candy dish and 2 new plates:

New Nativity:

3 Wise Men, Salvatore, la signora Acqua and 2 sheep:

The Hugging Tree:

The Christmas Hug Plates:


The candy dish/pastry plate:


The Alessi Christmas collection from 2008:





And the Alessi original Christmas Collection from 2007:





Buy any or all of them here at Unica Home (as long as they are still available!)

UK Artist Barnaby Barford's Sick & Twisted Ceramics

Above: Mary Had A Little Lamb

Barnaby Barford is an artist whose produced works you've probably seen on blogs, in design magazines and in the hippest of stores. But as an artist, his ceramic work may not be as familiar to you.

He creates unique narrative pieces using primarily found objects (both mass-manufactured and antique figurines) and turns them into sinister, sardonic and humorous sculptures. Well-known sentimental figurines from companies like Disney, for example, become characters in his twisted narratives, taking on an explicitly vulgar appearance that express some fundamental truths.

Here are a few of his one-off pieces from the collection he calls Private Lives:


Above: She Needs More Than A Makeover


Above: Imposter!


Above: Dear lord, for what we are about to receive make us truely (sic) thankful


Above: French Kiss


Above: J'adore Le Coq D'or


Above: Stick That On You Tube!


Above: That Wasn't In The Script!

As well as creating his one-off pieces, Barford has made projection based installations, worked with prestigious companies including Nymphenburg and has designed products for Thorsten Van Elten.

You may already be familiar with some of these:

Above: Stamp Cups designed with Valeria Miglioli for Thorsten Van Elten.

Above: Solitaire Olive Bowl, O's and X's Ashtray, Battleships Napkins designed with André Klauser for Thorsten Van Elten.



Above: Limited edition set of Global Service (World Plates) in blue or pink, designed for Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg, Münich.

About Barnaby Barford:

Barnaby Barford (b. 1977) graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2002. He has been the subject of several solo exhibitions in the UK, and has shown in major exhibitions in the US and Japan. In 2004 he was named Young Designer of the Year by Wallpaper magazine

His most recent exhibit:

From June 24 to October 15, 2008 the Fondation d’entreprise Bernardaud is hosting an exhibition entitled Petits bouleversements au centre de la table (Minor revolutions at the center of the table).

Barnaby Barford