Design as a language, technology as a tool, and the home as a stage for relationships and meaning.
From these premises was born the collaboration between Alessi and Istituto Marangoni Milano Design, which for the 2025/26 academic year has brought together two outstanding programs: the Master in Product & Furniture Design and the Master in Human Robot Interaction.
Two different briefs connected by a single common thread: exploring the future of domestic objects through poetry, interaction, and sensory innovation.

Domestic Oracles: Objects that Speak in Silence

In the Domestic Oracles project, developed by the Master in Product & Furniture Design under the guidance of the teacher Moreno Vannini, students were invited to imagine small household objects that behave like “oracles.”
Not instruments of information, but poetic, discreet, and emotional presences capable of communicating through light, vibration, or movement.

Following Alessi’s philosophy, these “domestic oracles” do not seek to instruct but to suggest—objects that do not speak yet know how to be heard, responding to their surroundings with subtle gestures that evoke a sense of care and intimacy.
An exercise in balance between technology and sensitivity, where innovation serves emotion.

Nectar Bot: When Design Meets Robotics

At the same time, students from the Master in Human Robot Interaction—guided by teachers Maria Fossati, Manuel Catalano, and Lorenzo Bustillos—worked on the Nectar Bot brief.
The project reimagines the beverage trolley as an intelligent, adaptive system capable of accompanying everyday rituals of well-being and conviviality.

An object that transforms throughout the day—from a morning coffee companion to an evening cocktail partner—merging robotics, materials, and behavior into a single fluid experience.
In Nectar Bot, technology becomes invisible yet alive, turning design into a form of empathetic relationship between humans and their environment.

Inside Alessi: A Lesson in History and Production

The educational journey was enriched by a hands-on experience at the beating heart of the company: the Alessi Museum and Alessi Factory Store.
Students from the Master in Product & Furniture Design took part in a special lecture with Gloria Bellardi, Assistant Metaproject, and Francesca Appiani, Curator of the Alessi Museum.

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The meeting bridged memory and contemporaneity, offering participants an overview of the brand’s history, design philosophy, and positioning in the global design market.
The visit concluded with a factory tour, where students observed firsthand the production processes and craftsmanship that transform ideas into iconic objects.

An immersive experience that revealed how craftsmanship, industry, and design culture coexist within the company’s DNA.