1492 - Dutch-designed Crystal Wineglass Doorbell

Bottoms-Up! Doorbell, designed by Peter van der Jagt for Droog. The pleasant, two-tone sound is created by the doorbell hammer tapping the red and white crystal glasses. "What we know as a doorbell, often a square box, does not actually indicate its function. In the Bottoms-Up doorbell nothing is hidden. The sound is created and symbolized by the crystal wineglasses. The guests are announced with a musical toast of this doorbell." Winner Red Dot award 2007 Materials: Wine Glasses, Electromagnet, Stainless Steel Dimensions: 9.8"x 3.5" x 9.4" Designed by Peter van der Jagt for Droog. Peter works as a freelance designer and for companies such as Authentics, KesselsKramer, Karlsson and Pressentime. He was a design consultant for Invention Promotion from 1996 to 1999. He also teaches at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Arnhem. _ _ _ TL;DR without wine: Peter prototyped this doorbell as a student, and when asked about the design, he said: "When I was studying, a strange thing happened. I actually became tired of design. And I was not the only one. "What’s the use after all, when fashion creeps in? What’s the use in assigning a colour when, before you know it, it is “so last year”? What’s the use in designing a shape if, within two years, it reminds you of something from way back when? "We thought we had the solution: we simply didn’t design anymore. We just had a good idea and prototyped it, without sketching or deciding on colour, shape or other aesthetic characteristics. The prototype thus became the product instantly. ... "This kind of thinking drove the design of Bottoms up doorbell. We were concerned with how the product could tell a story—not a fairy tale or a multi-layered, symbol-ridden social statement—but the story of the product itself. "What is a doorbell? Every single doorbell is a collection of electric parts that release a hammer so it hits two objects emitting a two-tone sound, in order to announce the arrival of company at the door. "Most doorbells are white plastic cubes that say nothing. Nothing about the technique, nothing about how they work, nothing about what a pleasant sound is, or how hospitality is expressed. "I designed the Bottoms up doorbell in 1994. ... years later, the product is still current. Perhaps as a classic, but not out of nostalgia. Of course design, and the thoughts driving design have evolved, and I think for the better. Nevertheless, not wanting to design wasn’t such a bad idea after all."