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Miniatures Collection

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Vitra
Vitra Design Museum

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For over two decades, the Vitra Design Museum has been making miniature replicas of milestones in furniture design from its collection. The Miniatures Collection encapsulates the entire history of industrial furniture design – moving from Historicism and Art Nouveau to the New Objectivity of Bauhaus and Radical Design, and from Postmodernism all the way up to the present day. Exactly one sixth of the size of the historical originals, the chairs are all true to scale and precisely replicate the smallest details of construction, material and colour. The high standard of authenticity even extends to the natural grain of the wood, the reproduction of screws and the elaborate handicraft techniques involved. This has made the miniatures into popular collector's items as well as ideal illustrative material for universities, design schools and architects.
The collection of the Vitra Design Museum en miniature
The Miniatures Collection of the Vitra Design Museum covers the most important pieces from the international history of design from 1850 up to the present. The construction, materials and colours of the miniatures correspond precisely to the historical original. Extensive development work was carried out to adapt the manufacturing techniques to the requirements of miniaturization. Because they are so true to the originals, the miniatures are not only collector’s objects for furniture enthusiasts, but also serve as ideal illustrative material for universities and design schools. At present, the collection encompasses 80 models on a 1:6 scale with further pieces being continually added. The models come in their own wooden box and are accompanied by a descriptive brochure with details on the design. Net proceeds from the sale of the miniatures go towards the exhibitions and workshops of Vitra Design Museum.   Maximum technology for the minis
On account of the high quality Vitra requires, specialized craft firms produce the miniatures in small numbers. Each of the delicate objects is made by hand with the aid of machines developed specially for the production of miniatures. Assembly, bonding and bolting work is carried out with microscopic precision using special assembly jigs and screws and nuts produced to a scale 1:6 of their normal size. Ongoing quality control reviews ensure that none of the models exhibits any faults in the surface or material and that every miniature corresponds to its larger original in terms of finishing, details and materials.
Quality to achieve perfection
Each model looks so perfect that one could believe it was the original, shrunk in size as if by magic. Yet not every shape and material can be reduced to one sixth of its original size. Surface, structure and weight of the original materials must also achieve a certain harmony individually and together in the miniature. When the wooden chair is made smaller, for example, only the measurements change, not the structure and grain of the wood. In order to avoid even the slightest unevenness, only selected woods can be used.    Honouring ingenuity
The Vitra Design Museum Miniatures Collection is unique the world over: for every miniature there is a licensing agreement with the designer or the designer’s heirs. Moreover, the matter of copyright issues is taken very seriously and artistic copyrights are honored by paying royalties, often in excess of the usual rates. Many designers collaborate with Vitra in the development of miniatures and review the prototypes before production begins.

Launch : 1820 - 2008