Design Within Reach announced the winners of its 4th annual Champagne Chair Contest which drew nearly 1,000 national and international submissions. Participating countries and regions included Tel Aviv, Calgary, Puerto Rico, Madrid, Taiwan, Bangkok, and France.
1. Grand Prize: Cantilever Block by Adam Weisgerber of Seattle, Washington
2. Second Prize: Kleeko Chair by Stacie Matrka of Columbus, Ohio
3. Most Popular Award: Chair Squared by Edward Cristman of San Rafael, California
The Champagne Chair Contest has become a much-anticipated yearly event which challenges participants to create a chair no larger than 4"x4"x4". This year, DWR is excited to partner with Veuve Clicquot for the Champagne Chair Contest and Tour. Veuve Clicquot created a limited number of custom chair building kits that came packaged in the Veuve Clicquot City Traveler, an on-the-go cooler designed to hold a mini bottle of Yellow Label. The kits included the wire, label, cork, and foil of two champagne bottles (just about everything but the glass), glue being the only permitted adhesive.
The winning chair, called the Cantilever Block, was submitted by Adam Weisgerber of Seattle, Washington.
About the Winning Chair: Adam Weisgerber's vision for the Cantilever Block was to emphasize the simplicity and continuity of the chair's angled planes with contrasting edges. After crafting the chair from two corks glued together, "I almost destroyed the entire thing by burning the edges. Burning the profile was harder than I imagined because cork expands when it gets hot. Luckily, after some sanding and careful application of heat, I maintained the crisp shape. I've always wanted to make something out of cork because it is such a beautiful natural material."
The second place chair, called The Kleeko Chair, was submitted by Stacie Matrka of Columbus, Ohio. Stacie was inspired by the molded plywood work of Charles and Ray Eames. With simple bends and folds, the plywood allowed a planar material to achieve highly complex three-dimensional geometries. "Where the Eames's used plywood, I opted for the highly sophisticated material of the champagne bottle label."
The popular vote chair, called Chair Squared, was submitted by Edward Cristman of San Rafael, California. Mr. Cristman insists that "Furniture, especially chairs, have been a passion and hobby of mine for years. The limited materials made it exciting."