Back in July I was invited to Alessi's press preview for their Autumn-Winter range at the Ily cafe in London's Regent Street. I walked into a full blown Christmas, which wasn't quite what I was expecting and must have been an unusual sight for the cafe's regular coffee drinkers.

I should warn you now, there's plenty of Christmassy things to follow, so if you have an aversion to Christmas as this time of year then you should look away now, as they say on the television.

There's been lots of research into making the perfect coffee pot and the Pulcina espresso coffee maker is the result of that research. To me it looks as if it's got a little beak and that's a design feature too - it's designed to be drip free, and if it works I'm sure it'll be welcomed by many.

I did like this “Quattro muri e due case” tray made of bamboo wood. It looked comfortable to carry and the perfect way to display Santa's note.

Would you believe the design for the kettle below is thirty years old? It was designed by Michael Graves in 1985 (hey - how is this thirty years ago?) and to mark this anniversary he's redesigned the whistle changing the iconic little bird to a Tea Rex - ahem. That's a reference to Chinese culture where these beings symbolise strength and fortune. It looks great and is a bit of fun too.

This lamp made of plastic looks stylish and would be good on a table or as a bedside lamp. It's called Lady Shy because the light source is at once visible and hidden, and is protected by the lamp structure that resembles a skirt blowing in the wind. But whatever, I think it's stylish and pretty minimalist.

You might have already guessed but the tea infuser above is designed by the same designer as the Tea Rex kettle. And below is a pretty holder for your bottles, a very pretty way to stop them leaving a mark on your tablecloth,

Each year the Alessi release a Christmas ornament which I'm sure become highly collectible. This year's ornament is by Italian Laura Polinoro. If I'm honest it's not really my thing, but I can see how they could become collectable and something that collectors would want to add to their collection, but not me.

The last item I'm going to share was easily my favourite, and it's one I will buy at some point. It's polished chrome, looks like jewellery but is for use in the kitchen. I was bemused as to what it was, but once it was explained it was a trivet I was fascinated and I could see just how useful it would be. And super stylish too - but it still reminded me of jacks I used to play growing up.

The stars (or jacks) can be arranged to suit any size dish, large or small and then when it's done it can be hung on a hook or left on display. Great isn't it? At £29 it's a more expensive than other trivets I've bought, but then again this is something entirely different altogether, don't you think?

So there was lots to see at this event, and lots more that I can see will be added to the Design Classics of the future. Thanks to Alessi for inviting me along, it was great to see these products up close.

* This is a collaborative post but all words and opinions are my own