design portfolio.
amy buchanan.
about me.
I am a BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design graduate of Nottingham Trent University. My keen interest in material investigations has directed many of my university projects and I have explored a diverse range of traditional and contemporary materials for potential use in my products. My industry placement year was spent at a bespoke kitchen company where I expanded my design expertise and confidence. Whilst there I developed my interest of colour, material and texture trend analysis and created several mood boards for the showrooms, social media pages and clients. Skills gained and developed during my placement year have led me to produce an inspired piece of kitchen and dining furniture for my final major university project. For this portfolio I have selected highlights of my work from a broad range of design briefs completed in my second and final year of university.
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table of contents.
kitchen larder
page 3 - 10
crease floor lamp
page 11 - 16
donkey
page 17 - 22
contacts
page 23 2.
kitchen larder.
the kitchen larder for food storage, food preparation and serving food.
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This freestanding kitchen larder is constructed in two sections. The top cupboard is divided from the bottom by a terrazzo kitchen worktop and the double doors open wide at 165° to reveal the terrazzo worktop and internal storage. Its construction is designed so that it has no bottom or central rail therefore maximising the worktop area and enabling the user to prepare and serve food within the larder.
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The bottom half incorporates tradtional food storage materials to enable staple foods to be kept for longer, focusing on terracotta and slate. One base drawer is lined with terracotta for vegetable storage and within the top drawer there is a smaller terracotta container for butter and a removable slate cheese board. The two middle drawers can be used to store tins and jars.
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This kitchen larder is painted in Farrow and Ball Red Earth in a modern emulsion finish. To contrast the warm toned paint, all five drawer boxes, drawer internals and shelves are produced from reclaimed birch plywood. To incorporate a key 2019 kitchen design trend all the hardware is in a matt black finish and the handles from Armac Martin add a contemporary, industrial feel. The cement terrazzo kitchen worktop consists of multiple flecks of varying toned marble and quartz bringing all the colours and textures together.
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crease floor lamp.
a textured concrete lamp base cast using the lampshade.
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My strong interest in material investigations directed me to explore surface textures that could be created with concrete. Initially creating and casting surface textures with everyday objects and materials, I developed my own reusable moulding system. Using small sheets of polypropylene, I began creating a basic cube net which was held together with bulldog clips. The top of the cube was left open to allow plaster to fill the cube’s void. The mould could also be lined with materials such as bubble wrap and anti-slip mat to create the surface texture. After the plaster had set, the bulldog clips were removed, and the polypropylene mould unfolded to reveal a textured cube. The mould was washed, lined with another material and the process repeated. This was the start of the Crease Moulding System.
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For the prototype I developed the mould further by creating a pentagonal prism net. A single sheet of polypropylene is used for the casting process, it is creased and held together with metal poppers. The prototype was cast with draught excluder tape to create the diagonal and horizontal lines. Once the concrete is set, the mould can be pulled apart revealing the concrete base. The mould is then put back together and can be used as the lampshade. The overall shape of the lampshade can also be adjusted by the metal poppers. It can either be left undone or closed depending on whether or not the user wants a more traditional lampshade look.
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donkey.
children’s animal shaped seated storage.
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The brief was to design and manufacture a high-quality prototype; a portable freestanding piece of furniture, as typified by the Penguin Donkey by Isokon Plus. The design was to be produced through CNC routing. My research focused on the Isokon brand, relevant materials and manufacturing techniques and the appropriate target markets and user scenarios. Taking the brief literally, I decided to develop a child’s seated storage as a ‘Donkey’. Sketch models allowed me to develop the concept widely and working with the structure of a full-scale model helped establish the correct proportions so that A4 books could be stored and a child would have enough room to sit. I developed the face of the Donkey multiple times so that it would suit the arrangement of the storage compartments. Producing a full-scale model in cardboard helped determine how the product would function before it went into manufacture.
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Animal shaped children’s storage Donkey - allows a child or children to sit on the Donkey whilst reading their book or playing. There are several compartments to store various sized books and magazines and children’s toys. It is produced from 9mm and 12mm birch plywood and constructed with housing joints. The face and back of the donkey are painted with black chalkboard to allow the child to customize their donkey by drawing a face, writing notes etc.
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contacts.
+44 7940 235137 amybuchanandesign@gmail.com instagram.com/amybuchanandesign/ facebook.com/amybuchanandesign/ linkedin.com/in/amy-buchanan-362670100/
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thank you for viewing my portfolio.
amy buchanan.