Platz #3
Third place is the Piper Beach Chair by Jeffrey Burke Whitten. Whitten almost missed the entry deadline. “I had designed and built a completely different chair on the last day of the contest but decided I wasn’t happy with it,” he said. “I didn’t have time to drink two more bottles of champagne, so I dismantled it and used the same materials to build the Piper Beach Chair.”
The judges praised the chair for its geometry, wit and use of graphics. “Having grown up on the beach, I’m a fan of folding chairs,” Forbes said, “and my only complaint about this chair is that I wish it folded.”
Whitten’s tools were a needle-nose pliers and scissors, and the inspiration for his comfortable-looking chair was the thought of sipping champagne at a beach resort in the South of France. We suggest that he take a break from his job as an identity consultant and treat himself to such a trip to find ideas for next year’s contest.
A fan of architecture and design, Whitten’s favorite architect is Stanley Saitowitz, who recently completed the 8 Octavia building in San Francisco.
Congratulations to our winners and to everyone who entered this year’s Champagne Chair Contest. Cheers!