February 15, 2007
Design Within Reach announced the winners of its 4th annual Champagne Chair ContestTM which drew over 1,000 national and international submissions. The Champagne Chair Contest has become a much-anticipated yearly event, challenging participants to create a miniature chair no larger than 4"x4"x4" from nothing more than the wire, cork and foil of no more than two champagne bottles, with glue being the only permitted adhesive.
Out of all the submissions, a chair by ArchiCulture Design Studio was one of the finalists chosen to head out on the nationwide tour to sixteen DWR Studios.
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| >> To view images of our other miniature chair entries, please see DWR Champagne Chair Contest in our Product Design section. |
The Contest was a rousing success this year, with entries pouring in from countries around the world, including France, Spain, Israel, New Zealand, Ecuador, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand... In past years, January would find DWR's San Francisco offices flooded with boxes containing stunning, funny and creative miniature chairs.
This very cool contest is open to anyone from professional designers to students. It has now become a holiday tradition, reaching a wider audience every year. DWR announces the call for entries in December; the dates are extended through January to accommodate the full holiday season and the abundant champagne bottles around the New Year.
Note: In an effort to reduce packaging waste generated in the past, DWR has changed the submission process, requiring entrants to submit their creations digitally.
The submissions are reviewed and the winning chairs are chosen by a jury made up of esteemed experts in the field of design. The entries are judged on craftsmanship, creativity, ingenuity, character and innovative use of materials. The 50 finalist chairs are then photographed professionally and featured on DWR website and in DWR Design Notes blog. A selection of chairs goes on tour to DWR Studios around the country.
UPDATE: We visited the Champagne Chair Tour event at DWR Tribeca Studio in New York City on June 5, 2007.
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Sandra Hansel, DWR Regional Director of Sales, and Zoran Zelic, ArchiCulture designer, with the winning chair.
