Alessi

New Yorkers are a tough crowd to impress. Perhaps with this is mind, the designcentric Italian company known for its iconic teakettles and anthropomorphic corkscrews tapped architect Hani Rashid to conceive its two NYC emporiums. Rashid (who, like his younger brother Karim, designs both mod interiors and clever lifestyle accessories) rose to the challenge with a futuristic space bedecked with metallic wallpaper and custom-designed modular shelving. On those shelves, you’ll find fancy copper pots and bright, porcupine-shaped paper-clip holders from the budget-friendly A di Alessi collection, among other housewares.