Michael Anastassiades' and Carl Aubock create coffee mill

A new coffee mill design by Michael Anastassiades has been produced by Carl Auböck, and sold at Sigmar London

(Image credit: Michael Anastassiades)

Michael Anastassiades, Carl Auböck and Sigmar London have joined forced on a new collaboration, recently launched at Zola Auböck Café in Vienna.

London-based designer and master of contemporary minimalism, Anastassiades drinks freshly-milled coffee every day. For many years, he was thinking about creating a coffee mill that would enhance his daily ritual. When he eventually thought up a design for the perfectly engineered mill, he called his old friend Carl Auböck from the legendary Vienna-based workshop, known for producing decorative and functional brass objects for four generations.

The pair launched their first series of brass and copper mills at the cafe of Auböck‘s daughter – Zola Auböck café – with the help of Nina Hertig of Sigmar London (a company that distributes and collects rare Auböck‘s pieces). This was the first time the group of friends had the opportunity to explore the world of coffee, launching the mill in a friendly, sweets-filled presentation that was followed by the tour of Auböck‘s studio and historical archive.

Carl Aub&ouml;ck&rsquo;s studio — *Inside Carl Auböck's studio*

'I was not very satisfied when I received the first prototype of our mill from Carl Auböck', says Anastassiades, who already collaborated with the workshop on a salt and pepper mill set a few years back. But after a few months, he looked at the model again and realised it was actually exquisite, and decided to produce it.

The silhouette of the mill references Anastassiades‘s iconic lighting design. Carved from solid pieces of brass and copper, the massive cylindrical shape niftily hides the elaborate mechanism inside. 'It is the first coffee mill with a gear', mentions Auböck. Anastassiades decided against a classic handle and instead created smaller ratio cylinder as a holder for the piece, and because of this, he had to use a gear to get a smoother, more seamless movement for the milling.

The result is a sculptural statement that adds a little poetry and elegance to a daily routine. The copper and brass versions have been made in a limited edition of 10 pieces, and will be available at the Sigmar shop in London.

coffee mill sketches — Anastassiades’ initial sketches and progress

inside Aub&ouml;ck&rsquo;s Viennese studio — The mills in production inside Auböck’s Viennese studio

brass and copper mills — Anastassiades denied the idea of a classic handle and designed a simple cylinder in a smaller ratio to the mill instead

Aub&ouml;ck&rsquo;s studio for producing decorative and functional brass objects — Auböck’s studio is known for producing decorative and functional brass objects for four generations

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Sigmar London website

Adam Štěch is an architectural historian, curator, writer and photographer, based in Prague. He is the author of books including Modern Architecture and Interiors (2006), editor of design magazine Dolce Vita and a contributor to titles including Wallpaper* and Frame, while also teaching at Scholastika in Prague.