Coffee Counter Couture - Philanthropic DeLonghi Artista Series

Coffee and art is a marriage made in heaven. Coffee shops have long been fertile ground for the creative segment of our population and nearly every café displays some sort of art as a part of its décor. Italian espresso machine manufacturer, DeLonghi has certainly embraced the creative, incorporating vibrant artwork into the design of its super-automatic Perfecta.

The first-edition DeLonghi Artista Series features original art by ten of the world's elite fashion, jewelry, and interior designers, as well as illustrators and graphic artists. The designs have been laser-etched onto the front panels of select DeLonghi Perfectas—the pieces have an extremely limited run, with no more than 10 units available per designer. Ranging from the intricate pattern submitted by American fashion designer Nicole Miller to quirky drawings created by Italian graphic designer Jonathan Calugi, DeLonghi auctioned the Artista Series through Ebay Giving Works from October 4-18th, 2009.

Not only did bidders have a chance to own a top-of-the-line fully automatic espresso machine adorned by incredible artwork, they also contributed to a very worthwhile cause. DeLonghi and the affiliated artists committed to donating 100% of the proceeds to Oxfam America, an international relief fund committed to combating poverty and injustice.