Italian company Il Coccio Design have produced a collection of nine white ceramic humidifiers by designers including Patricia Urquiola, Fernando Brizio and Alfredo Häberli, which sit on, hang from or can be wedged behind radiators.
Top image: Fabbrica del vapore (The Steam Factory) by Giulio Iacchetti
Called Il Coccio Design Edition, the collection includes the re-launch of Achille Castiglioni's 1998 design, Fischietto humidifier, alongside eight new ceramic objects by eight different designers.
Above: Fischietto by Achille Castiglioni
The project was directed by designer Giulio Iacchetti.
Above: Travetta by Patricia Urquiola
Here is some more information about the collection and designers involved:
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The Il COCCIO Design Edition is a collection of ceramic objects designed as real pieces of furniture with the function of humidifiers. Born as an idea of Fulvio Martini, who took over as the new owner of this famous brand in 2007, already a world leader in the humidifier market during the 1980s and 1990s, this collection has returned today to be representative of quality of a simple and useful product. Humidifier becomes a fashionable furnishing complement to match today’s contemporary lifestyle, with a new approach to the importance of health and environment.
Above: Zeppa by Denis Santachiara
Consequently, this has highlighted the need to redesign the humidifier, without neglecting to maintain its primary function, and to improve the quality of air in closed environments by supplying just the right level of humidity. This is a process, which provides personal well-being by preserving the ambient; the humidity is in fact obtained through the natural evaporation of water, which occurs when the humidifier is placed near the heat emanated by the radiators once they have been switched on. Coordinated by Giulio Iacchetti, the 2010 Design Edition will see the launching of the new edition of the famous Fischietto humidifier, designed by Achille Castiglioni in 1998 for IL COCCIO, together with eight new ceramic objects, projected along the lines of formal cleanliness, by other, equally well-known designers from the international scene: Fernando Brìzio, Marco Ferreri, Monica Förster, Alfredo Häberli, Giulio Iacchetti, Alberto Meda, Denis Santachiara, Patricia Urquiola.
Above: Travetta by Patricia Urquiola. Traces of what could be considered a classic humidifier have disappeared to give way to a project that camouflages its primary function. Travetta is a furnishing complement that levels and enriches the surface irregularities of the radiator with its potential functions: a tray-humidifier and small dividing spaces that can be used as object holders. Ceramic White Width 14cm Length 40 cm H 8,5 cm
Above: Zeppa by Denis Santachiara. To deviate from the canonical position of the humidifier and from the same canonical method of hooking it to the front of the radiator, Zeppa has cleverly concealed itself among the radiator elements and the wall. However, the hook is available so that it can be hung.
Ceramic White Width 6,5cm Length 6,5 cm H 27 cm
Above: Fischietto by Achille Castiglioni. Designed by Achille Castiglioni for IL COCCIO in 1998, the Fischietto, now considered to be the most classic humidifier in the range, returns to production and becomes the key reference model for this new Design Edition. Ceramic White Width 5cm Length 5 cm H 34,5 cm
Above: Fabbrica del vapore (The Steam Factory) by Giulio Iacchetti. Design by Giulio Iacchetti In this horizontally placed humidifier both object and function evoke memories of the archetype. The factory, which emits steam, gives the idea of an environmentally friendly production, offering a sense of well-being. Ceramic White Width 18cm Length 7cm H 13 cm
Above: Float by Fernando Brizio. A completely white ceramic bottle, a float, a black wooden sphere, water. These are the components of Float, the humidifier to be placed on the radiator, which flirts with the physics of water evaporation, the water level, which determines the ups and downs of the sphere rights up to completely closing the bottle after the evaporation process has been completed. Ceramic White Width: 11 cm Length: 11 cm Height: 27 cm
Above: Clio by Marco Ferreri. A humidifer designed to be placed either horizontally on the radiator, or hung. In both cases the heated contact surface is exploited to a maximum. Furthermore, the lithe and sinuous volume of the humidifier, which is a peculiarity of the design, allows the metallic hook to be hidden within the ceramic. Ceramic White Width 8 cm Length 27 cm H 5 cm
Above: Milky Way by Monica Förster. Milky Way because the ceramic is defined white and because this humidifier practically challenges gravity by resting perfectly vertical to the humidifier bringing to mind the shape and features of a flying saucer.
Ceramic White Width 18cm Length 18 cm H 5 cm
Above: Stromboli by Alfredo Häberli. A ceramic counter-balance, which has been knowledgeably designed to remain connected to the humidifier yet remain hidden behind the radiator elements so that Stromboli is held in projected suspension.
Ceramic White Width18cm Length 5,5 cm H 18 cm
Above: All Seasons by Alberto Meda. This humidifier hangs from the radiator during winter and carries out its primary duty, but in summer it becomes an elegant vase. All Seasons has a pentagonal section which, when hung, can be used on either the chine or the flat side, depending on whether the radiator is a compact model or one with spaced elements. Ceramic White Width 8cm Length 8 cm H 28 cm
