Felted Home Goods
Developing regional fiber systems that build soil & protect the health of our biosphere.
Soil to Soil
Fibershed’s model is a Soil to Soil Model, this means striving to make products that come full circle back to the natural beginings of the materials they use and the waste they create.
LA
Soil
E RG
POSITS E D N BO R CA CO2
Atmosphere PHO TO SY N
G FUEL RNIN BU
FOO D
Carbon Cycle
ION RAT SPI RE
IS ES TH
Water
MPOSITIO DECO N
Composting wool benefits the carbon cycle by increasing the amount of carbon rangeland can hold by close to 200%, and increases the overall health of the soil.
Ideation & Inspiration
Being able to meet the ranchers and animals helped me to connect with the material, furthering my investment in the feeling of comfort that wool inspires.
Much of my product inspiration came from visiting the farms that produced the wool. Many of their spaces were beautifuly decorated with lights and sculptures. Early on I wanted to use the wool to connect more modern shapes with a more natural material.
Later, after experimenting more with wool and the process of felting I felt that more organic forms beter emphasize the ephemeral qualities of wool.
Material Experimentation Form Texture Light
Natural Dyes Acidic................Basic
Red Cabbage
Red Onion
Compost Steam Dye
Avocado Skin
Blueberry
Compostabilty Final Direction When it came to deciding my final direction I narrowed down the most important ideas that I wanted to pursue.
Creating an environment
Natural Connection
Sketching In making design language
decisions I wanted to draw inspiration from the natural environment that supports the Fibershed System.
Midterm Design & Models My final lights are intended to showcase the natural wool texture as well as to reuse material (light fixtures and scrap yarn) and to be easily compostable at the end of their useful life.
Midterm Critique Inspiration
Tanya Aguiniga
Possible Partners Using super sap instead of a less natural resin could be a solution to keeping my forms longer without compromising the delecate density of the felt.
Inspired by my 3D print i was suggested Mango as a way to use this technique but with materials designed to biodrgrade.
Workshops & Collaboration
Through collaborative planning and helping eachother in different ways those of us working on home goods wanted to create an environment out of wool products.
Refining
I sketched refinment emphasisng contrast between the shade and cord and interchangability of lampshades.
Final Design & Models
12”
5”
Unique and Customizable
Each lamp shade is a unique size with a similar overall form. This allows them to be customized and grouped in a way that fits your space.
Thank You! Catherine G. Borgstrom cborgstrom@cca.edu 607.437.4144