Black Metal Wire and Rope Wine Rack for Nine Bottles, France, circa 1970

This bottle rack brings together two elemental materials — welded black metal wire and natural twisted rope — in a composition that is as functional as it is visually arresting. The structure takes the form of an open rectangular cage, its framework of welded iron rods forming a precise grid, while lengths of knotted rope are looped and festooned horizontally between the uprights to create individual cradles that hold each bottle in a horizontal resting position. The gentle sag of the rope under the weight of the glass lends the piece a rhythmic, almost decorative quality.

The design is characteristic of the French decorative arts of the late 1960s and 1970s, when the combination of industrial metal and artisan rope — popularised in part by the celebrated Toulon-based design duo Audoux-Minet — became a signature aesthetic in French interiors. This piece, while not attributed to that specific workshop, shares the same material sensibility and period character: the directness of welded iron softened by the warmth and texture of natural fibre.

Configured in a three-by-three grid to accommodate nine bottles, the rack strikes a balance between compactness and generous capacity. The open framework on all four sides ensures good air circulation around the stored bottles, while the depth of 22.5 cm keeps each bottle stable without crowding. The overall proportions make it equally suited to a kitchen counter, a cellar shelf, or a bar.

A piece that manages to be both practical and aesthetically considered, this bottle rack represents the best of French 1970s design thinking: honest in its materials, confident in its forms, and possessed of a quiet, lasting appeal that transcends fashion.