To celebrate the 10th anniversary of his first restaurant, Fifteen, opening in London, Jamie Oliver has joined hands with his charity Better Food Foundation to launch The Big Chair Project. Scandinavian furniture company Fritz Hansen, which is a long-standing supporter of Fifteen, has donated 20 iconic Ant chairs. The project asks various designers and artists, including Paul Smith, Cath Kidston, Quentin Blake and Matthew Williamson, to give Fritz Hansen’s classic Ant chair a creative food-inspired makeover.
Jo Sampson Studio has designed the dining chair illuminate for the project. The studio has given a classic twist to the design by creating cuffs and legs of the chair in crystal. To design and shape the new cuffs and legs, the studio collaborated with luxury house of crystal, Waterford Crystal.
Taking inspiration from fruits and vegetables, the illuminate chair features timber shaped leg cuffs, the design of which is found in pineapple, artichoke and onion. The master glass blower crafted over 40 prototypes to gain the exact weight and consistency for the glass cuffs, manipulating the leg silhouette through carving, slicing and sculpturing the crystal glass to form clean and precise lines for the decorative surface pattern.
The chair also features LED lighting, which gives a sparkling look to the hand crafted crystal design. Te lighting is encapsulated within the cuff legs, adding a luxurious base to the seat, which is covered with hand-made roses made from Waterford table napkins.
All the chair designs will be auctioned until October 2012 to raise money for the Better Food Foundation.