Teapots of the Eighties

If you owned a Gordon Gekko cell phone in the Eighties, chances are you had a designer teapot resting on the stove top in your sleek kitchen, too. The above Michael Graves 9093 teakettle designed for Alessi in 1985 is an internationally recognized 80s icon. In fact, it was the first product by an American designer to be included in the Alessi catalog (go USA!) and paved the way for the whimsical and colorful design style that seems to characterize the late 80s/early 90s. The Graves teakettle is actually the product that has sold the greatest number of units in the entire history of Alessi. You can pick up the "new Americana" icon for $148 right here, certainly the top teapot design of the decade.

The four runners up clockwise from top left: Frank Gehry's Pito tea kettle 1988/1992, made from polished steel and mahogany—the only Gehry for Alessi design ($399); Aldo Rossi's Il Conico kettle 1986, ($199); Andrea Branzi's Mama O kettle 1988, ($330); Richard Sapper's 9091 kettle 1983, Alessi's first designer kettle ($239). If I had to chose one to own it would probably be the Graves because of its icon status, but the Sapper is a really close second.