How about a toilet brush that resembles a cactus growing out of a vase?
What about a couple of brightly colored sugar bowls standing on little legs that look like they might march right over to your coffee cup?
And what’s with the espresso pot with matching creamer and sugar whose handles seem to be reaching for a friendly handshake?
These are the new items from Alessi, the Italian company that brought us such other household essentials as the teakettle with the whistling birdie perched on its spout (designed by internationally renowned archi- tect/designer Michael Graves) and the lemon squeezer that looks like a rapacious spider (by French designer Philippe Starck).
In announcing the new toilet brush set, designed by Italian architect/designer Sergio Giovannoni, Jack Markuse president of Markuse Corp., the distributor of Alessi products, says, most toilet brushes are lacking in emotion and poetry. “Our goal is give people a poetic brush.” The set will cost about $75.
Christy is the name of the sugar bowl, which resembles a shorter relative of Alessi’s long-legged lemon squeezer. Suggested retail is $20.
The handles on the espressomaker and sugar and creamer resemble Mickey Mouse hands eager for a pat or a shake. Suggested retail is $165 for a three-cup maker; $90 for the creamer, $85 for the sugar holder.
The items are available at Chiasso stores at 303 W. Madison St., 700 N. Michigan Ave. and 231 S. LaSalle St.