Alessi - Konstantin Grcic - Salt and pepper shakers (2) - Aluminium casting

Bring a sculptural, industrial-chic presence to your table with this striking duo of salt and pepper grinders by Alessi, marking Konstantin Grcic's debut in the Alessi catalog. Together, this pair stands like two self-assured columns, each asserting its presence even when not in use, upright, composed, almost emblematic, like two kings on a chessboard.

"Grinders are among the classic tools of the kitchen and dining table. They grind pepper, salt, and spices, but it would be too easy to define them by function alone. A mill must also assert a presence when not in use," explains Grcic. The cylindrical body of each grinder is precisely dimensioned for a confident two-handed grip, while the round section of the upper part transforms into an octagonal profile, a subtle cue that makes torque visible and intuitive, making the shape itself evoke the very gesture of grinding.

This set includes one black grinder for pepper and one dark grey grinder for salt. The formal purity of each piece stems directly from its advanced production process: a solid block of aluminum machined with a CNC lathe, hollowed out through successive milling operations to create extremely precise sharp edges. The sandblasted and anodized finish gives the metal surface a delicate, tactile presence, shedding all industrial coldness and offering a firm, pleasant grip. Struck by light, the black variant reveals a deep vein of green, while the object's clean, rigorous facets seem to come alive with powerful three-dimensionality.

Each grinder houses a ceramic grinding mechanism with adjustable grain size, suitable for salt, pepper, or spices, making it fully versatile. Two tabs at the base allow the coarseness to be adjusted: counterclockwise for a coarser grind, clockwise for a finer one. Aluminum is strong, lasting and the product is suitable for food contact.

Dimensions (each grinder): Ø 4.9 cm - H 21.7 cm.

This set of two grinders is in brand-new, unused condition and comes complete with its original Alessi packaging.

About Grcic:
Konstantin Grcic: Born in Munich in 1965, Konstantin Grcic trained as a cabinetmaker before studying design at the Royal College of Art in London. In 1991, he founded his own studio, now based in Berlin, working across product design, exhibition design, and collaborations in fashion and architecture. Over the course of his career, he has designed for leading design houses including Flos, Vitra, Magis, Cassina, ClassiCon, Authentics, and Muji, as well as for brands such as Audi, Hugo Boss, Issey Miyake, Prada, and Rado. His work is held in the permanent collections of major design museums, including MoMA (New York) and the Centre Pompidou (Paris), and he has received prestigious international awards such as the Compasso d'Oro.