Design

YouGoods: Vintage Vehicle Challenge Finalists

April 28, 2010

The second edition of the YouGoods contest was all about the automobile. We opened this Vintage Vehicle challenge up to anything made of recycled or reclaimed car parts – and we mean anything. The submissions we received were creative, funky and sometimes even a little hilarious. It was nearly impossible to narrow them down to five. But (after a few squabbles and lots of debate) we selected these remarkable and innovative finalists:

#1 The Smashing Necklace by Jill Suddendorf: a stunning mix of smooth glass with a jagged appearance, this Smashing necklace is a show stopper!

Dimensions: approximately 47mm x 27mm x 7.5mm thick

Materials used: silver frame, broken windshield

What is the story behind your idea? I read that the windshield is one of the most difficult parts of a car to recycle due to plastic laminates on either side of the glass. By recycling vehicle windshields, the amount of automotive waste in landfills could be reduced by 3 percent. It will take a lot of pendants to equal one windshield but it is a start!

necklace

#2 Tail Light Paperweight by Janet Lewis: Take a breath, put your stack of papers on the desk and slow down. This tail light paperweight will add a fun touch to any work space.

Dimensions: Paperweight 5/8”h x 3¼”w x 3¼”d; Pen & Pencil Holders 1½”h x 3 ¼”w x ¾”d

Materials used: Aluminum and vintage taillight plastic lens

What is the story behind your idea? I have always appreciated the sleek, manufactured components of vintage automobiles. My design refers to a vintage automobile both in materials and in the streamlined form alluding to a taillight. I liked the idea of creating desktop items that would invite the user to recall a car memory of their own, transporting them away from their desks if only for just a moment.

tail light

#3 Seatbelt Chair by Adam Barron: Sit down and buckle up! This funky seatbelt chair will take you for a ride.

Dimensions: overall height – approx. 32”, overall Width – approx. 19”, overall depth – approx. 25”, seat height – approx. 16”, seat depth – approx 17.5”

Materials used: ½” Steel Rod frame that was powder coated after being built. The rest of the chair was constructed by weaving seat belts collected from a local junkyard (cleaned in the washing machine before use) and fastened using screws and bolts. Belt buckles on the back of the chair were also collected from cars at the junkyard

What is the story behind your idea? I am currently a senior in industrial design at the University of Cincinnati. As a junior, approximately a year ago, our project was to design a chair using 3 of 5 Japanese design principles (humor, craftsmanship, compactness, asymmetry, and simplicity) After several rounds of ideation, refinement and lots of study models, I utilized all of the trial & error and knowledge I had learned about chair ergonomics to construct my seat belt chair.

seatbeltchair

#4 Car Chain Cufflink by Steven Shaver: rev up your style with these tough and intricate car chain cufflinks.

Dimensions: 3/4″ wide x 1 1/4″ long (to tip of cuff post)

Materials used: recycled car engine timing chain

What is the story behind your idea? The story behind my idea is to discover unique car parts that have a story to tell and give them a new form and function. This car part once served in an engine working hard and enduring the elements.

chain

#5 Go Board by Janelle Norton: Keys? Check! Paid the bills? Check! For all of life’s little to-dos and necessities, the Go Board is the perfect reminder for any room.

Dimensions: 14”x16”x1 (size can vary)

Materials used: sheet metal from hood of a car, magnets and hooks for hanging.

What is the story behind your idea? It would be a useful product that would use currently existing material with minimal alterations. I feel it is important to use materials wisely and I feel this does not create more waste and provides something useful.

goboard

Now, go out and vote for you favorite! Just click “like” on the UncommonGoods Facebook page.

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