Beverage Brewers Dominate Design Challenge

A compact cold-brewer and a tea steeper doubling as a maze caught the attention of two prominent retailers, garnering top awards for Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO) student Teagan Chatterley (MDes 2018), and recent alum Chantelle Choi (BFA 2017).

SAIC’s Design Challenge, which is intended to give students a platform to present their ideas to a well-respected retailer, and incentivize the creation of refreshing, excitable, and enjoyable products, is in partnership with object retailer Kikkerland and the stationary company Paper Source. Student submissions were overseen by Peter J. Oyler, Assistant Professor in the AIADO department.

Multea Tool—Chatterley’s device that allows users to run a teabag string through a labyrinth while it’s steeping, then squeeze and set aside the teabag once it’s finished—won the People’s Choice Award. Choi’s Devil’s Tea Cold Brewer, an easy-cleaning coffee maker with a simple three-part design, won the School’s Academic Award. Both designs will be sold at Paper Source locations nationwide in the fourth quarter of 2017.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Design Challenge. Student submissions will be on display at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York from May 21–24.