Project Overview

Let's design an extendable and configurable range of products using one or two geometries only!

LLDS has designed an innovative wine rack that allows users to decide how they want to store and display their wine collection; you can add and grow the wine rack over time, dismantle and reconfigure at any time. It is a functional product that is simple to use and elegant in solution.

Organisation

Power to Make

Team

LLDS / Power to Make - David Leggett and Paul Loh

Project Brief

The Interlocking wine rack plays with repetition and extendibility of a geometric pattern to create an interactive and fun product. Using only two basic elements, the wine rack can be extendable (in theory, infinitely extendable) and re-configured to suit space. It is a unique self-contained product but can be extended into architectural scale forming walls and screens. The largest structure we have assembled is over 1.6m tall (fixed to wall of course). The only rule that applies is the law of gravity.

Part of the project brief is to reduce the amount of packing for the product. The rack is sold flat pack, tied with paper twine.

Project Need

The project is innovative on two levels.

Firstly, the design is unique in its interactive nature, encouraging users to interact with the product and allowing the user to design their own product configuration. The product is sold as flat pack and its modular components are easy to assembly. The key in the design is in the unique interlocking joint system.

Secondly, the manufacturing ethos behind the product is based on sound sustainable material choice and design philosophy. The product is made from FSC certified plywood and finish using a food safe wood wax. The product is manufactured in our micro manufacturing facility in Reservoir, Melbourne. Through the whole design process, we have consciously maintained an economic balance to enable the product to be designed and make locally.

Part of our company ethos is to capitalize on digital technology to produce highly crafted objects which are customisable and yet comparable in price to mass-produced items. We are uniquely set up as a micro-manufacturing facility located in Melbourne, promoting local manufacturing and crafts.

Design Challenge

The main design challenge is to develop the interlocking joint between pieces so the wine rack can be assembled with stability. This included working with the material tolerance of the plywood.

We found the sourcing of material crucial in the design process in order to keep the cost down and maintain our ability to make the product locally in Melbourne.

Sustainability

Our approach to sustainability is about being able to design and make the product all within a single premise in order to reduce supply chain and carbon foot print. We are uniquely setup as a micro manufacturing facility based in Melbourne. As a micro-manufacturing facility we are not restricted to mass produce a single type of product to minimized running costs. Being micro, we can be more responsive to client’s requests and demands. Since the launched of the standard winerack in December 2012, we have now added the champagne set to the collection.

On the material front, we choose to work with sustainably sourced timber. Our product is made from FSC certified plywood and finish in a natural food safe wood wax with no harmful chemical to the environment. The dry jointing method means that we do not use any glue in this product.