Alessi Lemon Squeezer

The first time I saw one of these I thought it was a 1950s design. It certainly has that Sputnik/space/atomic age look about it of the late 50s and early 60s. But no. It was made in 1990 by the Italian design house Alessi. Cast in Aluminum, it is rather an example of form over function. You squeeze the lemon onto the top and the juice runs down the body into a jug that you place at the bottom. The designer himself, Philip Starck, is rumoured to have said: "It's not meant to squeeze lemons, it is meant to start conversations."