Bottle carrier oak and ash

This small piece of furniture made of Bavarian oak and ash wood is intended for various functions, which are almost fully described with sitting and drinking. Generically, it is a support for eight bottles of wine or water, which can optionally serve to transport or store the same. Turned upside down or sideways, it becomes a stool (on which you can rest, for example, from carrying bottles over long distances) or a side table, depending on the position, with the option of storing a supply of wine.
Its remarkable aesthetic appeal results from the contrasts created by its construction and choice of materials: between the vivid light ash wood and the darker oak of the bottle frame as well as the round bar acting as a handle, between the grain of the ash wood and its end wood surfaces, which are visible because of the side parts that are positively joined to the base. Designed in 2015 by Christoph Böninger, the piece is manufactured by Auerberg in Bavaria and has since found its way into the Neue Sammlung in Munich.

Radical reduction in form and material and a complete focus on function - that is the guiding principle behind the furniture from Auerberg. These are handcrafted products that are designed away from industrial standards, far removed from fashion and uninfluenced by marketing constraints and produced in small batches. Behind every single piece of furniture is the authentic personality of the respective designer - and because there is no restrictive program dictate, the product designers are only committed to their own standards. Accordingly, all Auerberg furniture is unmistakable, sometimes purist to the point of stubbornness, extremely solid in terms of craftsmanship and thus virtually made to last.

The furniture is manufactured regionally in Upper Bavaria and the wood - mostly oak, ash and beech - comes from certified forestry operations. The mastermind behind Auerberg is Christoph Böninger, once a professional globetrotter, now a settled design publisher. Well-connected in design circles, Böninger works in Munich and on his farm in Auerberg - hence the name of the project - near Bad Aibling. And even though Böninger has gathered a number of designers and architects around him for his "product lab" - with established greats standing alongside up-and-coming talent - he still lends a hand himself. Sometimes he oils wooden furniture and gets it ready for shipping. Incidentally, Auerberg's greatest successes to date include the AEKI step stool by Gerhardt Kellermann and the "Silent Ladder" by Christoph Böninger himself, a versatile hybrid of stepladder and silent servant.