By Cassandra Turner
Designers often look to the past to design for the future. Talented Australian designer Adam Goodrum has done just that for iconic French champagne house Veuve Clicquot. The result is the highly anticipated, limited edition Riddling Stool.
In keeping with his design philosophy of simplicity and purity, and his pechant for all things that fold (an obsession of Goodrum’s since he discovered the works of mobile designer Alexander Calder whilst he was at University), the laser-cut, aluminium Riddling stool with its piano hinges is designed to pack flat, making it not only a beautiful piece for the home, but in my view, the best picnic accompaniment I’ve seen this season. Finished in the signature yellow colour of Veuve Clicquot, the piece hides an element of surprise, based on the famous riddling table invented by Madame Clicquot in 1816, a design innovation that forever changed the way champagne was made.
Initially created with a table in her kitchen, Madame Clicquot cut circular holes in the structure to allow the bottles of wine to be stored at an angle. She believed, rightly, that strategically positioning the bottles would force the sediment into the neck, making it easier to extract. This process, called ‘riddling’ after the unique angled holes, involves regular turning of the bottles to gather the sediment and is, to this day, a core technique used by all Champagne houses to create the crystal clear wine we know as champagne today.
As homage to Clicquot history, each stool has been designed to hold one bottle of Veuve Clicquot on its strut, ‘riddling style’. A stunning stylish stool that holds a bottle of Veuve.. now do you see my stylish-picnic point?
Be quick, as these stools are limited. Only 100 have been produced, one of which will take pride of place at Hotel Du Marc, Veuve Clicquot’s Private Hotel in Reims, France. Says Julian Ceder, Veuve Clicquot’s head of design: “Veuve Clicquot has strong ties with the world of innovative design and has previously partnered with such global icons as Tom Dixon, Andrée Putman and Karim Rashid. This is our first Australian collaboration and Adam Goodrum’s ‘Riddling Stool’ is a stunning piece of design, very modern but also with a clear provenance.”
The Adam Goodrum Riddling Stool will be available at furniture emporium CULT Design in their Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane stores (until September 18 in Sydney, Sept 24 in Melbourne and Oct 1 in Brisbane).