Maison&Objet 2013:Â Japanese architect Toyo Ito will present a set of cutlery with slim handles like chopsticks at Maison&Objet design fair in Paris, which opens tomorrow.
Mu, which means "hexagon" in Japanese, was designed by Toyo Ito to complement the Ku crockery collection he created for Alessi in 2006.
Each piece of stainless steel cutlery has a slim handle that finishes in a hexagonal profile at the tip.
The range includes a fork, knife and spoon for the table, a fork, a knife and spoon for dessert, a pastry fork, a tea spoon, a coffee spoon and a mocha coffee spoon. Also available are salad servers, a ladle, a cake server and a serving spoon and fork.
Ito's Japanese Pavilion at last year's Venice Architecture Biennale was named the best pavilion at the event, while his previous projects include a spotty black theatre in Tokyo – see all architecture by Toyo Ito.
The cutlery is being shown at Maison&Objet design and interiors fair in Paris, which opens tomorrow and runs until 22 January. See all our stories about Maison&Objet 2013.
We previously featured another set of cutlery designed for Alessi by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec – see all designs from Alessi.
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Here's some more information from Alessi:
MU Cutlery set, designed by Toyo Ito for Alessi
"Sharp, yet with a touch of sensitivity and elegance... Linear, yet with an organic quality of plants... We intend to shift our familiar sensations with chopsticks onto cutlery." Toyo Ito
The Japanese architect Toyo Ito continues to build his family of objects for the mise-en-place of the table. The fluid shapes of the delicate KU porcelain service, designed in 2006, are now complemented by the MU Cutlery set, which means "hexagon" in Japanese.
The hexagonal section of the handle is created using a mould and the intricate manufacturing process involves various stages.
The precision of the slim, full handle is reminiscent of the shape of Oriental chopsticks and contrasts with the rounded profiles of the spoons and the knife blades.
The MU table service includes Table spoon, Table fork and Table knife, Dessert spoon, Dessert fork, Dessert knife, Pastry fork, Tea spoon, Coffee spoon and Mocha coffee spoon. The range also features four types of serving cutlery: Salad set, Ladle, Cake server, Serving spoon and fork.
Cutlery set in 18/10 stainless steel. Sets for 1 person (5 pieces), 6 persons (24 pieces) and 12 persons (75 pieces).
Table spoon - cm 20
Table fork - cm 20
Table knife - cm 22
Dessert spoon - cm 18
Dessert fork - cm 18
Dessert knife - cm 20
Tea spoon - cm 14
Coffee spoon - cm 13
Mocha coffee spoon - cm 11
Pastry fork - cm 16,5
Ladle - cm 26,5
Serving spoon - cm 26
Serving fork - cm 26
Salad set - cm 28
Cake server - cm 25