Hasta La Ideas

Considering that Brett Swope‘s “Oblique” was Kickstarted in less than 24 hours, there’s no need to sell the product here… but let’s just consider it an addendum to our Ultimate Gift Guide (a companion to Cristalino, perhaps) in the interest of sharing a brilliant modern update on a classic design object.

Oblique is a wine bottle holder that is precision machined from 6061 Aluminum that holds the bottle horizontally such that the center of mass is roughly above the middle of the footprint of the holder. Thus, the bottle and holder are co-dependent on one another. The design is a result of the ‘balance’ between the CNC milling machine process considerations, efficient material use, shipping constraints, aesthetics, and cost. Oblique is designed in California and manufactured in Minnesota.

It’s more practical than, say, William Lee & et al collective’s “Lean”, perhaps even more so than Beverly Moon’s ultraminimal contact case, yet the form remains remarkably pure, a monolith in miniature, perfectly calibrated for its purpose… all without electromagnets.

True to his background in engineering, San Francisco-based Swope offers a ton of manufacturing details and specs, courtesy of his friend and business partner Greg Suski, on this Kickstarter page. Fun fact: the “Oblique” is made from the same type of aircraft-grade aluminum that Aaron Panone uses for his 144#47 track chainring.

There’s no video, so you’ll just have to believe the hype pictures until the “Oblique” ships (just in time for Christmas)… you’ve got 12 days to pull the trigger.

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