Alessi Lemon Squeezer on Three Legs by Philippe Starck

Most lemon, orange and citrus squeezers are designed for a purpose. Their decorative features come sometimes a distant second. However this is not the case with the Juicy Salif which was designed by the French product designer Philippe Starck. Within ten years of its creation, the alien-like three-legged tripod lemon squeezer had earned a place in the theatre of design greatness. This was highlighted by its incorporation into New York's MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) halls of fame.

Philippe Starck was commissioned by the famous Italian Kitchenware Factory Alessi in 1986 to come up with dynamic, interesting and unique designs for everyday kitchen utensils and objects. This request was part of Project Solferino which included other design greats such as Francois Burkhardt. Nevertheless, it was Starck who stole the show and was the one to be remembered years later. Later that decade, four of the Frenchman's designs from that year were put into production including the now famous 'Juicy Salif' lemon squeezer. This was the start of a match made in heaven between the Italian design giant and Philippe Starck.

Starck's lemon squeezer on three legs is to this day looked upon as an industrial design classic. What's most interesting however is the inspiration behind the Juicy Salif. Alberto Alessi, the founder of the Alessi Design Factory, best explains this.

"I received a napkin from Starck, on it among some incomprehensible marks (tomato sauce, in all likelihood) there were some sketches. Sketches of squid. They started on the left, and as they worked their way over to the right, they took on the unmistakable shape of what was to become the juicy salif. While eating a dish of squid and squeezing a lemon over it, Starck drew on the napkin his famous lemon squeezer."

Alessi produced the squid-like lemon squeezer whilst looking at a particular section of the market. The post-modernist kitchen tool was hoped to be most appealing to the young middle class professionals of the era. Its futuristic, almost 'alien spacecraft' look, was intended to appeal worldwide and this it did. Starck's Lemon Squeezer became an avant-garde status symbol.

There have been a number of different versions of the Alessi 'Juicy Salif'. These have included 10,000 gold plated productions to mark the squeezer's tenth anniversary. They are now collectors items along with the even rarer grey and black versions. However, the gold plated lemon squeezers met with much controversy due to the nature of their material. The acid in lemon is known to erode and damage gold plating. Nonetheless, Starck was not worried about this and even admitted that his juicer was "not meant to squeeze lemons" but "to start conversations". Although, despite what the creator said, the tripod lemon squeezer works perfectly well. The 'normal' Juicy Salif is made from cast and polished aluminum.

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