Gold Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design · 2023
Iedde Mussel Knife
- A' Design Award 2023 Gold Winner in Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design
- Awarded April 15, 2023
- CLIENT: Iedde
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 715,628
- Verification code 058E5F007F · Verify this award
About Iedde Mussel Knife
Iedde is a mussel knife made for shelling mussels. The design is a redesign of the grammella, a traditional tool from Taranto, Italy. The handle is shaped to rest inside the palm of the hand. The blade follows the curve of the grip and joins the base. The curved form holds the tool in the correct position, so the hand does not need to be tilted. The blade is laser cut from stainless steel sheet and hardened in an oven. The handle is made of olive wood. Blade and handle are joined by two pins.
Rooted firmly within the contemporary craft revival that celebrates the marriage of traditional materials with refined functional design, Giuliano Ricciardi's Iedde Mussel Knife emerges as a considered meditation on the relationship between tool and task, hand and harvest. The work demonstrates exceptional sensitivity to material selection, employing olive wood—a Mediterranean staple long associated with longevity, abundance, and culinary tradition—shaped into an organically swelling handle that appears almost to have grown into its present form rather than having been carved. This biomorphic quality suggests the designer's deep engagement with the philosophical traditions of craft that emphasize truth to materials and the revelation of inherent beauty through skilled manipulation. The blade, by contrast, embodies industrial precision while maintaining artisanal character through its brushed finish and carefully considered proportions. The junction between organic and fabricated elements—marked by two circular fasteners of differing diameter—represents a thoughtful resolution of the perennial design challenge of joining dissimilar materials while creating visual interest through rhythmic punctuation. The etched nomenclature and numbering suggest limited production runs that honor individual pieces as unique objects worthy of identification and collection. One might observe how the overall silhouette echoes the mussel shell itself, creating a poetic circularity wherein the tool mirrors its intended quarry. The work invites consideration of how objects designed for specific purposes can transcend mere utility to become artifacts of cultural practice, vessels of ritual, and expressions of care. How might holding such an implement transform the act of preparing a meal into something approaching ceremony?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The Grammella, a typical object of Taranto (Italy), is a tool used to shell mussels. Iedde is the result of a redesign operation focused on the analysis of the traditional grammella, its use, the geographical context and the mussel. The ergonomics of the tool, oriented towards a shape easy to handle, derives from the handle, whose shapes lend themselves to being received in the palm and from the blade that arises spontaneously following the curve of the grip, to connect harmoniously to the base
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Width mm 125 x Depth mm 36 x Height mm 25
- Tags
- knife, mussels knife, kitchen tool, handmade, handcrafted, traditional, wood, iron, professional, mussel
- Production Technology
- The blades, in ma5mv stainless steel, were obtained from a 2 mm sheet metal with laser cutting technology, and hardened with heat treatment in the oven. The olive wood handle was made with a cnc machine. The components, blade and handle, were then assembled in a sandwich structure with 2 through pins and finally everything was finished with manual and bench equipment. Each piece was then branded and numbered with laser engraving
- Design Challenge
- The redesign of a traditional and authorless object, born from a necessity and not from a project, always represents an exciting challenge full of pitfalls because, overcoming simplicity and economy isn't never so simple. The main obstacle was that of the diffidence of sector operators in testing the prototypes. Mussel farmers and restaurateurs, accustomed to the use of traditional grammella, appreciated the qualities of Iedde only after assessing the effectiveness of the innovations introduced.
- Project Duration
- The project started in April 2022 in Taranto and finished in September 2022 in Taranto. The prototype was exhibited at the Ego Festival in Taranto in September 2022. In December 2022, 100 numbered pieces were produced and sold upon reservation and in February 2023, mass production was started for the national and international market. On February 28th it was exhibited at the Amoris Terrae event c/o Fasano (Brindisi - Italy)
- Operation Flow
- Iedde must be placed in the palm of the hand that closes around it. The blade is then inserted into the mussel and shells it with a back and forth movement, releasing the fruit enclosed inside (see the video). It works better than the traditional grammella thanks to the new shape of the handle and the curved shape which places the instrument in the right position, as opposed to the traditional version which, being linear, forced the user to tilt the hand (see the documentation).
- Research
- Historical research has been oriented towards territorial uses and traditions, thus identifying the traditional grammella as the representative instrument of the maritime culture of Taranto. Interviews with mussel farmers and restaurateurs highlighted the weak points of the traditional grammella, once they were resolved, study sketches were made and then some prototypes to refine the instrument's characteristics. The result is Iedde destined to become a modern gift for the city of Taranto
- Inspiration
- The Taranto black mussel was recognized as Slow Food Presidium and in honor of this it was decided to make a re-edition of the traditional grammella. The mussel inspired the shape of the handle from which the whole instrument derives. A current image has been given to an anonymous design object born from necessity and not from a project. Iedde, with its shape, function and materials, isn't just a grammella, but an iconic object that refers to traditions and territory; a tangible visual message
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Giuliano Ricciardi, Iedde 01, 2023
Image #2: Photographer Giuliano Ricciardi, Iedde Combo, 2023
Image #3: Photographer Giuliano Ricciardi, Iedde 02, 2023
Image #4: Photographer Giuliano Ricciardi, Iedde with mussels, 2023
Image #5: Photographer Giuliano Ricciardi, Iedde packaging, 2023 - Patents
- Pending patent. UIBM n° 402023000000147. Giuliano Ricciardi. 2023. Italian
Colors of Iedde Mussel Knife
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Design Interview about Iedde Mussel Knife
Taranto, my city, is famous for the production of mussels. This year the Taranto mussel has become a Slow Food presidium and, on the occasion of this recognition, the inspiration was born to design an object that was linked to this typical Taranto product.
Analyzing the tradition, it emerged that the grammella was useful to best represent the city. Iedde, therefore, was born from the desire to create a re-edition of the traditional grammella. A redesign operation that is not simple because the traditional grammella is a poor object resulting from an anonymous design.
Iedde is already in production. The first series is of 100 pieces and is characterized by a progressive serial number useful for identifying the very first production. Being a symbolic object of the city, production will continue and, thanks to the support of the Municipality of Taranto, it will also become the city's cadeau.
Furthermore, the name IEDDE has become representative of the brand with which I am starting the production of tools and products intended for the consumption and processing of the prized Taranto mussel
Furthermore, the name IEDDE has become representative of the brand with which I am starting the production of tools and products intended for the consumption and processing of the prized Taranto mussel
The redesing of this concept required a careful analysis of the traditional grammella, but also of its use. Some prototypes have been made and the appropriate corrections have been made on the basis of these in order to obtain a functional and practical object.
I drew this concept for several reasons. the first is the desire to design a representative object of my city. it is also true that it had been commissioned as a gadget for a well-known restaurant in my city whose owner, however, judged the compensation I requested exorbitant.
Iedde is currently produced and sold by me, but a brand with the same name will soon be born and with which other concepts associated with the consumption and processing of mussels will be produced. The idea of transferring the production rights to another company is interesting and I will certainly evaluate the proposals that arrive.
the desire to create a symbolic object of my city and linked to tradition
The grammella is a very simple object, but at the same time unique in its kind. I was inspired by the work of other craftsmen who produce oyster openers, but it is also true that this tool is different from mine because it is intended for a very different seafood.
Iedde does not have a defined target. It can arouse the interest of individuals who want a design mussel opener for special occasions or it can be purchased by high-level restaurants that want to offer their customers valuable tableware, but also by brands that want to offer their consumers particular gadgets. such as wineries or restaurant chains. The municipality of taranto wants to make Iedde official gift of the city
in this product it is the ergonomics and the shape that make the difference compared to common tools for opening molluscs and seafood
Iedde is the translation into the Taranto dialect of the pronoun "she". I wanted an iconic name for an iconic object, so when I'm looking for "she", I'm looking for "the grammella" and not a common grammella
first of all I developed several pencil sketches inspired by the shape of the mussel. After the sketches I switched to a 3d modeler with which I modeled the object and made some renders to evaluate the finish of the handle. Finally, thanks to 3D printing, I produced the first specimen. This example was used by the craftsman who produced the first prototype
Definitely the handle that takes shape from the mussels and the curved shape of the blade.
the project was entirely developed by me, but the support of the craftsman I selected to make the grammelle was very useful
I wanted a handcrafted object, but, at the same time, always the same in each copy. To obtain this result, the use of laser technology for cutting the blades and numerical control machines for modeling the handles was essential. The chamfering of the blades and the finishing of the entire object is manual
Research has been indispensable above all because the traditional grammella is a poor object born more from a necessity than from a project. The study was mainly focused on ergonomics and structure.
the redesign of an anonymous design object is already a challenge, precisely because these objects are often very minimal and with very simple functions. In my case, the grammella is a tool used to open and shell mussels. The main challenge was to evaluate the traditional object to improve it above all from the point of view of ergonomics and structure, thus making it an aesthetically refined object with an attractive design while maintaining simplicity of use and perfect functionality.
Dozens of design concepts are produced every year. Some of these are destined to become products, others remain prototypes, still others remain simple sketched ideas. A very refined design object, linked to tradition, territory, and in which the famous formula "form follows function" certainly deserves a nomination for a design contest
Iedde is the first kitchen tool that I design. In designing it I learned a lot about ergonomics, dimensions, materials and finishes. Simplicity, even if combined with a complex shape, always wins over any applied decoration, especially if we are talking about an object intended for very manual use
Design is a continuous evolution of itself, thanks to the improvement of technique and technology, new materials and new trends.