The Peacock

Wine Cellar for Godolphin

The Peacock's ancient craftsmanship and contemporary fabrication create an intentional joining of past and present. The cellar comprises one thousand individually handcrafted blue-glazed terra cotta tiles, glistening like the Peacock's feathers. The design team used 3d printing to prototype before working with artisans from the historic porcelain town of Jingdezhen, China to craft the final tiles. Every tile's internal LED illuminates bottles individually, this creates a soft ambiance throughout the cellar. Over three years of fabrication, the team gained great respect for the artisans.

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The Peacock by Kyle MertensMeyer

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Wine Cellar by Kyle MertensMeyer

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Kyle MertensMeyer The Peacock

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Kyle MertensMeyer Wine Cellar

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Unique Properties

The Peacock Cellar's use of ancient craftsmanship combined with contemporary fabrication technologies creates a beautiful and intentional joining of past and present. The blue tone of the cellar comes from one thousand individually handcrafted blue glazed clay tiles, glistening like the peacock's feathers. The symbolism of the peacock showcases both elegance and strength. To create these tiles, the design team and client worked with artisans from the historic porcelain town of Jingdezhen, China, known for the most exquisite porcelain throughout the dynasties.

Tags

Terra-cotta, Wine Cellar, Blue, Glazing, Song Dynasty, Jingdezhen, Tile, Parametric, 3D-Printing

Production Technology

For over two years, the artisans worked to recreate the glazing for each tile one by one in small kilns. Incredibly, the technique required extreme heat to achieve the blue color tone, and as a result, only 1 in 10 pieces crafted survived in the end. For every tile seen in the cellar, nine others cracked in the extreme heat or were flawed. Due to the difficulty and time needed to create such craftsmanship, it's unlikely that such work would be attempted again or repeated by others, making this a one-of-a-kind piece of art for our time.

Design Challenge

The most challenging aspect of this project was to create the specific blue feathered glazing for the terra-cotta tiles. More than fifty artisans attempted, and only one prevailed. The process of creating each was long and intensive. Each tile was made as a hollow sculpture and glazed in blue twice. Extreme heat needed to create the blue color caused many of the tiles to crack in the process and required delicate expertise. Our team and the artisans realized through this process why this glazing typology had been a rarity throughout history.

Project Duration

The Project Began in January 2019 in Shanghai, China, and was completed in July 2021.

Operation Flow

The cellar operation is designed to be seamless and functions with ease. The primary cooling function is controlled by a smart controller with access via APP for the wine cellar's owner. Additionally, a custom aluminum ladder was designed to access wine bottles at elevated heights. The ladder is light and easily moved as it attaches to a floated steel ring around the top of the cellar.

Research

The primary research required for this project pertained to testing the shape of the blue terra-cotta tile and its ability to safely hold the wine bottles while still allowing ease of access. The team used a series of 3d printed prototypes and shake tests to evolve the shape of the tile. Additionally, the team used the 3D printed prototypes to build mockups to study the lighting integration methods for the wine cellar.

Inspiration

From 960-1127, during the Song Dynasty, artisans crafted a unique style of feather-textured blue porcelain glaze. Since then, this particular blue glazing technique has disappeared. Our team spent months searching for artisans who could bring back this feather-textured glazing technique as the key feature for this cellar.

Image Credits

Main image is Image #1: Wen Studio Optional Image #1: Dirk Weiblen Photography Optional Image #2: Dirk Weiblen Photography Optional Image #3: Wen Studio Optional Image #4: Wen Studio Video Credit: Wen Studio

Project Overview

The Peacock Wine Cellar has been a Platinum winner in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design award category in the year 2021 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Platinum A' Design Award is recognized for honoring designs that stand at the forefront of creativity and innovation. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the A' Design Awards, acknowledging works that blend remarkable innovation with impactful societal contributions. These designs not only showcase exceptional artistic and technical proficiency but also highlight their creators' commitment to advancing the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Recipients of this award are celebrated for their role in shaping the aesthetics and trends of our time, contributing significantly to the enhancement of quality of life and promoting sustainable development.

Platinum Recognition

Kyle MertensMeyer was recognized with the coveted Platinum A' Design Award in 2022, a testament to excellence of their work The Peacock Wine Cellar .

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The Peacock Wine Cellar: A Fusion of Ancient Craftsmanship and Contemporary Design

Renowned designer Kyle MertensMeyer unveils the Peacock Wine Cellar, a stunning fusion of ancient craftsmanship and contemporary design, completed in Shanghai, China in July 2021.

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