Spirale Ashtray

This 7690 Spirale Ashtray was designed by the Italian designer Achille Castiglioni for manufacturer Alessi.

There's more than a hint of retro appeal about this 7690 Spirale Ashtray. Castiglioni was born near Milan, the heartland of the country's design culture, and did much to establish the new wave of Italian style in the 1950s and 1960s. As with many of his designs, it displays his love of elegant practicality, as well as an enjoyment of the simple pleasures and finer things in life. It's also a call-back to the days when smoking merited its own delightful and decorative range of paraphernalia: from personalised cigarette cases and trusty lighters to the perfect ashtray.

Designed in gleaming stainless steel, the authentic 7690 Spirale Ashtray belongs to this gentler and more elegant era. It's practical too - the spiral and dish separate easily for emptying and cleaning. Alessi's product comes in two sizes, the smaller ideal for a cigarette, and the larger for a more sizeable cigar. The grooves of the spiral naturally hold your favourite smoke, so it doesn't rest on the cold ash below. Time for a stroll to the chair on the terrace, with a glass of something suitable.