As Seen in The Globe and Mail: Alessi’s Chestnut Pill Box

Stylish pillboxes are having a moment

A recent article in The Globe and Mail looked at the renewed interest in pillboxes as small, personal design objects. Not the colourful plastic organizers from the drugstore, but discreet, pocket-sized pieces with presence, history, and a bit of personality.

The article traces the pillbox back through snuff boxes, trinket boxes, vinaigrettes, and other tiny hinged cases once carried as everyday objects of status, utility, and personal expression. What makes them compelling now is much the same: they are useful, intimate, and small enough to invite a little humour or sculptural detail.

Alessi’s Chestnut Pill Box fits naturally into that conversation.

Designed by Gabriele Chiave and Lorenza Bozzoli, Chestnut is made in mirror-polished 18/10 stainless steel and shaped like a horse chestnut. It turns a practical object into something tactile and quietly expressive, a compact piece of design that feels just as considered on a table as it does tucked into a bag or pocket.

Alessi YoYo Pill Box

For a more structured option, Alessi’s YoYo Pill Box offers a weekly format in the same design-led spirit. Designed by Michel Boucquillon, YoYo is made from 18/10 stainless steel and thermoplastic resin, with a compact round form that keeps the object practical without feeling clinical. It is a useful daily piece, but still unmistakably Alessi.