Alessi Tripod Round Trivet

This object, which at first sight may seem like an item of jewellery, is in fact a trivet by the young designer Gabriele Chiave. Devised to dangle from a kitchen hook, it can be taken down and thrown like dice onto the dining table. Once a suitable position has been found for the article upon the table it transforms into a prop for boiling saucepans, scorching oven trays or hot serving dishes. Worthy of note is the contrast (present more often than one might think in the history of kitchen utensils) between the functional use of this unassuming item and the opportunity for aesthetic redemption presented by its decorative and stylish features.