R O RY H U D S O N PRODUCT & FURNITURE DESIGNER
R O RY H U D S O N PRODUCT & FURNITURE DESIGNER
“The design of any article shall first be determined by a study of the purpose to be fulfilled� -Homer Eaton Keyes, on Shaker furniture-
CONTENTS
2
1. PACKAGING I. PLASTIC TRAYS
6
II. MILK TOP SPOUT
12 16
2. NEW BALANCE
18
I. CONNECTED CHAIRS
24
3. INDOOR GARDENING I. PLANT STAND
30
II. FLOWER POT BUCKET
36
III. WINDOW SAUCER
42 44
4. COPPER I. LADLE & GOBLET
46
5. STAIRS CARRY-ALL
48
6. FURNITURE MAKING
54 56
I. WALLNUT SHELVES
iv.
PACKAGING {1} INTRODUCTION CONCEPT EXPERIMENTS
{2} PLASTIC TRAYS WHAT TO DO MATERIALIT Y VALUE USING THE EXISTING
{3} MILK TOP SPOUT EXCEPTANCE PERCEPTIONS
PACKAGING . Introduction INTRODUCTION
F
ast moving consumer goods was the starting phrase for these pieces. I went round supermarkets and shops
to see these items in their natural habitat, on a shelf. The area which interested me the most, was food and drinks
We have an ever replenishing source of
and their packaging. A vast majority of this is made from various plastics and used, at most, for a week to contain
objects and materials that we never use, just sitting
their food. This packaging and the manufacturing, shipping, creating
in our recycling bins.
of materials etc, all for maybe ten minutes of drinking from a can seemed excessive. It seemed as though there should be another use for it after it had been finished with. The idea was never to re-design packaging it was about re-using it. Allowing the packaging to be used and to extend its life
RE-USE
and usage.
These first experiments looked at how we re-use some packaging at home and why. Such as jam jars, plastic take away boxes, shoe boxes etc. What I then aimed to do was to find the objects that we do not keep and reuse, and discover why this is and attempt to expose the fact that we have an abundant source of usable objects waiting to be used, just sitting in the recycling bin. The initial experiments included a tin can instrument, making paper clips from tins, a plastic tray pasta
TIN CAN PAPER CLIP
strainer including others.
4
PACKAGING . Introduction I wanted to extend the life of the packaging just a bit, and find other purposes that it could fulfil in the domestic environment.
HOW CAN DISPOSABLE PACKAGING BE USED AS EVERYDAY KITCHEN TOOLS.
RE-USING TUPPERWARE AT HOME
VARIOUS PAPER CLIPS FROM PACKAGING MATERIALS
5
PACKAGING . Plastic Trays
PA C K A G I N G : P L A S T I C T R A Y S
WHAT TO DO WITH PLASTIC TRAYS.
T
he most obvious of the food packaging is one that we
Our perception of these items is most likely due to the ma-
use everyday and is used for a huge variety of foods,
teriality of them, the disposable nature and the vast quantity
PET plastic trays. To us they appear so functionless and
of them all make us overlook and under-appreciate them.
ugly when they have done their initial job of protecting
That is where the idea for the ceramic tray came from. The
the food that they carry. Most noticeably, they are the item
idea was to change the material of the trays to change per-
which fills up our recycling bins.
ceptions of them. The transformation from black PET to white ceramic suddenly added value and quality to the tray,
So what to do about these single function plastic objects?
this also engaged people to view it in a different way and
To start, I collected as many different trays as possible and
to pick up a shape, which they would normal bypass, and
began to analyse them. It seemed the closer one looked, the
enjoy the beauty of it.
more intricate details appeared on these trays, which we so often overlook.
6
PACKAGING . Plastic Trays
It completely tranformed the object from disposable to valuable.
C
eramic picked up all the fine details of the perfectly machined plastic tray and created a strange illusion
by transforming an archetypal shape into the same object, however adding value to it by changing the material. This asks us to question our approach to materials. The shape is obviously beautiful in its own right however it takes the ceramics for us to notice this. It also questions the choice of PET plastic as a main food packaging material. Why not ceramic or paper pulp or even moulded wood chip.
7
PACKAGING . Plastic Trays
WH I CH O NE TO US E ? For the making of the shelf unit I picked one tray out of the rest to use for this. I chose a black PET tray manufactured by Nicholas packaging速. This was because the shape giving the trays structure happened to form four groves along the bottom of the tray. These groves afforded four fingers to fit in them and this would act as a built in handle for the tray-shelves. The first prototype to be built was from plywood slats with a triangular outer frame and screws. It worked and was simple to construct, however, it was very material heavy comparatively to the trays it was supporting. Hence, I went the other way for as minimal material as was reasonable and made a few frames out of five millimetre steel wire. This had a less bulky appearance and was lighter in both weight and appearance. The reduction of material showed the features of, and emphasized the trays, so that the focus was now on the trays rather than the frame. In this way the frame became supplemental to the trays.
8
PACKAGING . Plastic Trays T R AYS A S DR AWE R S
Utalising the existing shapes and elements of the trays by
The trays formed pre-made sliding shelves for the wire unit. Aside from using the affordances of the trays and re-using
recognising the functions which
otherwise wasted objects, the product was designed to be
they afford.
used for a multitude of tasks. The size of the trays and spacing between the trays allows room for stationary, cutlery, screws and bolts, sewing kits, plant shoot sprouting and all manner of domestic crafts. It is light and maneuverable due to the top handle. It was intended to become shelves for spare parts, small bits and so on, however once the trays are in the unit, they appear less like packaging and more like custom pieces for the unit. This quality gives it more value among other household objects and allows it to be on show and not tucked away. In this way the shelves are adaptable and functional.
PROGRESSION
MRK. I
MRK. II
9
MRK. III
PACKAGING . Plastic Trays
10
PACKAGING . Plastic Trays
11
PACKAGING . Milk Top Spout
MILK TOP SPOUT
I
chose the HDPE milk bottle to look at, as it is an item sold
The idea was to give value and a desirability to the milk
and used in millions each day, something we all use, yet, it
bottle. To set about adapting the bottle so that it would be
has a low perceived value.
desirable. I looked at old copper jugs that have an opposing level of value to the milk bottles to see if this could be
Originally the concept was to extend the life of the average milk bottle, to continue its usage after it had been emptied. This involved re-evaluating the bottle and finding other purposes for it. It was decided that the best purpose of the jug was actually being a jug. This led to thinking, why do we not use it as a such? What keeps us from re-using it? Most likely the materiality of the bottle, the thin translucence of it and the disposable nature this gives it, keeps us from wanting to re-use it.
12
transferred across to the bottles.
It was not about changing the design, but rather changing our perceptions of our value over objects.
PACKAGING . Milk Top Sout The spout gives the HDPE milk bottle permission to belong on the table amongst the tea set.
E
xperimenting began by literally transferring parts of the copper jugs onto milk bottles to see the ef-
fect. This immediately changed the bottles into objects of value and made them look like a more usable and permanent object. This also created an interesting juxtaposition between the two materials. I set about creating my own copper spouts, while sticking to the traditional forms of the jug spouts. This kept a clear language of classic copper jugs and informed the user of the intention of the spout.
13
PACKAGING . Milk Top Spout
T H E F IN IS H E D P IE CE S The finished piece featured will be made from spun copper and be complete with a cast silicone ring insert to prevent milk from dripping out from under the spout, to grip onto the bottle lid and form a seal. There are two final pieces here. One is a taller, more elegant spout, while the other remains true to traditional copper jugs in outline form and proportions. While the more traditional form brings a certain jug-like language to the bottle and is modestly raising the value of the bottle, the taller spout gives the bottle a certain amount of pride and eccentricity. A prime example of how small changes in shape and proportions can change the meaning and language of an object.
14
PACKAGING . Milk Top Spout
15
NEW BAL ANCE {1} INTRODUCTION INSPIRATION CONCEPT
{2} DEVELOPMENT MAKING IT CONNECTION
{3} CONNECTED CHAIR S FINAL PIECES IN SITU
NEW BALANCE . Connected Chairs
NEW BAL ANCE:FURNITURE INTRODUCTION
T
his was a live project with Kingston University for sportswear brand New Balance in conjunction with event man-
agement company Octink. The Connected Chairs were designed and created by myself, Dejon Hurlock and Sam Gordon. The task was to create some contemporary furniture pieces for the New Balance Olympic hospitality suite, Millbank Tower in London, that explored and reflected the values of the brand and used materials from one of their ranges of new trainers. The initial research consisted of learning the history of the New Balance company, visiting their UK factory in Flimby and understanding the brand and their values.
The brief was to create some contemporary furniture pieces for the New Balance Olympic hospitality suite.
TOP HEEL SECTION, SUEDE
18
NEW BALANCE . Connected Chairs CONCEPT
The concept came from the family feel and interdependency of people within the New Balance factory.
The concept for the chairs was born from a visit to the New Balance factory. Within the factory there was a strong feel of interdependency and family. We felt as a team that this was something, which we would like to explore, and see how we could incorporate it into our furniture. We initially began by looking at traditional inclusive chairs, such as kissing chairs and voyeur chairs. The voyeur chair was designed for playing cards. The player would sit in the chair and the on-lookers would stand behind it and lean on the padded back of the chair. This was the sort of design we wanted to go for, through manipulating a traditional style chair so that it could include and engage more people and give a feel of sharing and relying on others.
DEVELOPMENT SKETCHES
INSPIRATION. VOYUER CHAIR
19
NEW BALANCE . Connected Chairs MAKING IT
T
he two chairs are second hand wing back chairs. To begin with we removed one front leg from
each chair and began cutting and fitting the central ‘bench’ to the two chairs. The actual length of the piece had to be determined by the size of the elevator in the Mill Bank tower, where the piece would eventually end up. We were sent the requested off-cuts from the factory and began to hand stitch them into the central bench and experiment with the fabric. Eventually we sent off the chairs to Classic Furniture to be professionally upholstered in New Balance Plaid and Green Stripe. After that we sprayed the legs black and began to merge the three components together by stitching the remaining fabric over the piece.
STITCHED NEW BALANCE LOGO
The two armchairs were upholstered in New Balance Plaid and Green Stripe from their trainer range. 20
NEW BALANCE . Connected Chairs LITTLE STOOL Along with the chairs we also created a stool. For this we dissasembled the carcas of an old wooden chair and contorted and stretched the off-cuts around and through it, then stapled them to the frame. The stool became like a small shrub compared to the two larger chairs and the pieces became more of a familly. The stretched fabric acted as padding and made for a good support over the frame.
The vine like material growing on the chairs are the off cuts from the manufacturing process.
CONNECTION To achieve the feel of interdependency with the chairs, we drew inspiration from vines growing over trees and walls, joining them together. The off-cuts when bunched up and twisted, gave us this look of the vines and by stitching them over the three components, this merged them as one and gave the feel of pieces that had grown together, sharing the same connection. In the end we found this worked well and people using the chair felt connected, and the angle of the chairs encouraged people to face one another at a comfortable distance and engage with the piece and each other. This was exactly the feel we were after.
21
NEW BALANCE . Connected Chairs
T H E F I NA L P I E C E
The final pieces were on show at the New Balance Olympic hospitality suite for the London 2012 Olympics. 22
NEW BALANCE . Connected Chairs
23
INDOOR GARDENING {1} INTRODUCTION BEGINNINGS RESEARCH URBAN FARMING
{2} DEVELOPMENT FURTHER RESEARCH CONCEPTS INSIGHTS SKETCHES IDEA PROGRESSION
{3} PLANT STAND BACKGROUND REASONING DEVELOPMENT FINAL PRODUCT
{4} POT BUCKET MAKING REASONING DEVELOPMENT FINAL PRODUCT
{5} SAUCER CONCEPT REASONING PLATES RENDERING
INDOOR GARDENING . Introduction PROJECT BEGINNINGS
T
he research began by visiting and volunteering at Londons’ city farms. This involved helping out
with general tasks around the farms, including feeding livestock, sowing spinach seeds, turning the soil, propagating cuttings, weeding, using everyday gardening tools and general gardening tasks. Being a part of these farms also enabled access to speak to and interview other volunteers and gardeners. This initial first hand research was extremely beneficial and necessary, especially for such a hands-on subject. This provided initial insights and served as an invaluable foundation for the project.
The research began by volunteering at London’s city farms for valuble first hand experience and research.
U R B A N FA R M S : I N L O N D O N There are appoximately 15 city farms in London.
.
The farms support everything from goats and cows to fruits and vegetables.
.
Although many of the farms are educational, some provide food for the local community.
.
They inhance community well-being and bring the community together
.
All of the farms actively promote self sufficiency. Green in more ways than one. 26
INDOOR GARDENING . Introduction
P L A N T A P P R E C I AT I O N
The interest turned
Along with using spades, barrows, forks, buckets, all the
towards how we grow and use plants in
tools of the trade; a lot was learned about how to grow plants. Due to the time of the year, we were turning over
our homes, as this seemed a rich area
the soil and replenishing it with nutrients in the form of
for design intervention and to observe
manure and compost from the animals on the farms.
people’s growing habits indoors. All of this added to a substantial foundation for the rest of the project. It informed the designs by understanding the appreciation that gardeners and people have for plants and the joy of growing food. This is something not many people do due to a modern life style and because of this the following projects aimed at reflecting the simple and forgotten pleasure of growing ones own food.
27
INDOOR GARDENING . Development COMMON HERBS
LEADING ON....
A
fter researching and gaining insights at the urban farms, the project soon became about growing food. This was due to responding to
current issues to do with sustainability, food production and fears of food scarcity. In particular, growing food indoors became the area of interest for further development and investigation. This was mainly due to the accessibility of small scale, window-sill food production to most people, as this is something many of us do, either with one small basil plant or a mini herb garden. This also seemed quite a rich
R O S E M A RY
area for design intervention due to there being a lot of insights into the habits and ways that people grow their plants indoors.
The only way was to clutter the window-sill with herbs, ferns and plants to find out what growing indoors was
CORRIANDER
really like.
BASIL
PA R S L E Y
28
INDOOR GARDENING . Development
W I N D OW B OX G R E E N H O U S E
S E L F I R R I G AT I N G P OT S
M I C R O - P O R O U S T E R R A C OT TA
I N D O O R P OTATO G R OW I N G
29
INDOOR GARDENING . Plant Stand
P L A N T S TA N D : B A C K G R O U N D The story behind this object developed from being
moved around indoors in order to provide other
aware of the need to move plants around, when
functions based on their location. For instance, herbs in the kitchen are used for cooking with,
growing them in pots. The initial observation was that plants often require moving inside and outside.
while flowering herbs in the living room are decora-
This is mainly due to available sunlight and tempera-
tional and used for their scent. The plant stand aims to
tures. For instance plants more used to a warmer cli-
accommodate these movements that we perform with
mate such as coriander or oregano, should be brought
our plants and bridge a gap between human and plant
inside over night so that frost or cold will not kill them.
by providing this object, which explores our relation-
Plants can also be
ship with plants.
Moving plants to different locations to afford different purposes within the home, formed the basis of creating a moveable, plant carrying object.
30
INDOOR GARDENING . Plant Stand
H E R B T R O L L EY
P OT & M I L L
This enabled movement of the plants around the home and disguised itself as a piece of furniture.
A plant for the dinning table with a herb mill to grind up fresh herbs onto food.
INITIAL C ONCEPT S The main focus of the project was still on growing food and growing it indoors. This was reflected in some of these initial concepts as they are mainly to do with using the edible plants in our homes and focus on how growing and eating herbs can become more integrated into our daily life. This idea of integrating these plants into the domestic environment was also shown in the herb trolley, which mainly served as a portable podium for the plants, while disguising itself as a functional side table type of object. However, despite the varied concepts, each lent a particular way of thinking to
D I N N I N G TA B L E H E R B S
add to the development of the final piece.
A dinning table, which accommodates herbs with a built in planter. Playing with the idea of having flowers as a center piece and making this functional.
31
INDOOR GARDENING . Plant Stand
DEVELOPMENT
“Once an archetype has been created, it lingers in our minds, a memory ready for reuse� -Deyan SudjicFinding this balance was key to determining the
E V O LV I N G T H E O B J E C T :
final object. The handle for the piece came from
L A N G UA G E
T
hunting down and looking at many different garden tool handles, new and old. This involved searching
he stand took many shapes through, sketches
through second hand tool shops and DIY shops.
and models during the development stages. I re-
ferred back to the purpose of the object to allow this
I decided on the use of a traditional spade handle.
to define the shape.
This was due to the particular and familiar language of such an object, which informed the user exactly
The piece had to sit well outside and be robust, how-
how to engage with it and use it. It also suggests its
ever it also had to blend in indoors, so it had to have
purpose through the hints at gardening tools and
the language of both functional tool and of furniture.
functional object.
32
INDOOR GARDENING . Plant Stand
T R O L L EY & S TA N D S K ETC H E S
33
INDOOR GARDENING . Plant Stand
34
INDOOR GARDENING . Plant Stand
35
INDOOR GARDENING . Flower Pot Bucket
FLOWER POT BUCKET
36
INDOOR GARDENING . Flower Pot Bucket
M
oving plants around was also the starting point for this object. It focuses more on the
individual plant and on our interaction with it. It touches on our compassion and care towards the pot plants in our homes, as well as offering a convenient way of transporting them. It ties together distinctive languages of gardening products; the terra-cotta pot and the bucket to form a new and engaging product.
It uses existing pots with a hand bent wire frame and turned oak handle.
S K ETC H E S ; P OT S A N D H A N D L E S
37
INDOOR GARDENING . Flower Pot Bucket
D
eveloping the piece involved understanding how it would be used and what sort of plant
would be grown in it. This in turn informed the design decision. The height of the handle was decided by finding out, the height of different common herbs and pot plants. The handle had to be high enough to not be over grown by the plant and to fit over the top of any plant in the pot. It stands three times the height of the single pot; this was an aesthetic decision to keep it proportionally correct and this also enabled room for plants underneath.
The handle had to be right, as this is the point of interaction between person and object.
T
he bucket handle is the area of interaction between the person and this product, subse-
quently a lot of thought was put into how exactly this pot would be carried and used and how the shape of the handle would reflect this. Smaller handles had two grooves for use with two fingers, while larger handles accommodate the whole hand.
38
INDOOR GARDENING . Flower Pot Bucket
39
INDOOR GARDENING . Flower Pot Bucket
40
INDOOR GARDENING . Flower Pot Bucket
41
INDOOR GARDENING . Window Saucer
W I N D O W S AU C E R
T
he concept for the saucer came from noticing
and this builds up a visual relationship between
that almost all window growers will put their
the plants on the saucer. The saucer’s size fits three
pots on some sort of dish or saucer to catch the wa-
standard plant pots next to each other. There is a
ter run off from watering their plants. Many people
story also to this product, it speaks of gardeners
also have two or more plants, especially if they are
taking a break and drinking tea. It combines typi-
growing herbs, on their windowsills. With these two
cally English things, casual weekend gardening
observations combined, the idea to extend an arche-
and tea. These are renders of the final object. The
typal saucer so it can accommodate more than one
final saucer will be slip cast ceramic with a shiny
plant. Also if plants are sharing the same saucer then
white glaze
the water run off will hydrate the next plant along
42
INDOOR GARDENING . Window Saucer
I
t was essential for the product to look like an extended saucer, rather than a ceramic tray. To
achieve this a real saucer was cut in half using a ceramic disk saw to reveal the profile of the saucer. By adding the three circular indents, this clarifies the language of a the saucer also suggesting the amount of pots to put on. This also has made an affordance for three cups of tea and room for biscuits. From designing for window-sill growing, a new type of saucer emerges. Combining tray, saucer and plant dish, and by borrowing language of existing saucers enabled this new distinctive product to be born.
The concept came from an observation of people placing pot plants in saucers on window-sills. 43
COPPER {1} LADLE & G OBLET
COPPER . Ladle & Goblet
COPPER
T
hese pieces were made as part of a silversmith-
The goblet is hammered over a jig and the ham-
ing and jewellery course at West Dean College.
mering marks are deliberately left in, which cre-
The pieces were my own design and making. I put
ates a distinct texture. This is a technique called
these in, not because they have any research or de-
planishing and is performed with a ball-ended
sign story but because I think they are just beautiful
hammer. The base stand was hammered circular
objects, and copper a beautiful material. They also
around a form and soldered along the seem. This
show the techniques, which I have acquired.
was then soldered onto the base and the whole piece was polished. These objects serve no real
The ladle is heated and hammered from a single
purpose, however, sometimes being elegant and
copper rod. The bowl of the ladle was hammered
beautiful can be considered a valid justification for
into a circular mould, then edges filed and all sand-
objects to exist.
ed and polished.
46
COPPER . Ladle & Goblet
47
S TA I R S C A R RY- A L L
STAIRS CARRY-ALL
M E S S O N T H E S TA I R S
A
n observation into the way we use stairs in our homes began this project. After asking friends
and colleagues about their staircases, one main area
We all use the stairs as a
stood out. Most would leave items on the stairs,
dumping ground. A
mainly shoes, mail, laundry and bags. What ever
transitional storage space between upstairs and
is left on the stairs is usually meant to go upstairs. However it usually takes some nagging before it gets moved. The idea was to create a carry-able product
down.
which, would accommodate these items and encourage passers by to pick it up on their way past.
50
STAIRS CARRY-ALL JUST A MODEL The piece is made from three sections; the two sides and the bottom, blue part. They are then blanket stitched together on the bottom seam and then cross stitched up the front and back seams. The stitching and thread accentuate the making of the piece and create a feature of them. The final carry-all does not have a handle and the choice of thickness for the felt was too soft. However this was a prototype. The intended article would have been a thicker, more compact felt and would hold itself better. What this model does show however is
Felt is a soft and unobtrusive material, which can be
the stitching, shape, colour and style. It is very inviting however; almost wearable, like a giant slipper.
folded up or stuffed between the bannisters when not in use.
B
ecause staircases have certain size regulations, this meant that the majority of modern stair-
cases conform to roughly the same dimensions. This gave the product a set size and platform to work with. Initial ideas involved use of the bannister and the rails, however this evolved into the current object, which fits around the step and this shape dictates its place within the home.
51
STAIRS CARRY-ALL
52
STAIRS CARRY-ALL
53
FURNITURE MAKING {1} WALL-NUT SHELVES
WALL-NUT SHELVES
B L A C K WA L N U T S H E L V E S
I
made this piece while studying furniture making, City & Guilds, at Chichester College. The idea was
to alter the angle at which we store DVDs and books to enable easier reading of the titles on the spines. Due to the course, it was focused mainly on woodwork and judgement of our skills as such. Because of this, the design came second. The shelves are made from american black walnut. The top and bottom joints are dovetail joints, the center shelf is a straight housing joint and the left and right corners are dovetail housing joints cut into a strip of white ash wood.
FURNITURE MAKING During the two years studying furniture making, I also made a pair of dinning chairs, a coffee table, a wall cabinet and a tool box along with the shelves, however I felt that this was the my favorite. There I learned the entire process of production with timber, from felling trees, biology of trees, sawing and seasoning timber, different types of timber and also buying and choosing timber. This was learned along with wood machining, veneering, marquetry and hand skills. This also taught me how to make objects with care, patients and accuracy and these skills have been used in everything that I have made since.
56
WALL-NUT SHELVES
Inspiration came from watching people tilt their heads to read the titles on book and DVD spines.
57
NOTES
PHOTOGRAPHY: Studio photography of New Balance project and of Copper goblet and ladle by Reiji Yamazaki.. Inside front page image by Charles Dedman All other photography by Rory Hudson QUOTES: “The design of any article shall first be determined by a study of the purpose to be fulfilled” Edward Eaton Keyes (1937) Shaker Furniture; the craftsmanship of an American communal sect. London: Constable and Company, Ltd, pp. viii
“Once an archetype has been created, it lingers in our minds, a memory ready for reuse” Deyan Sudjic (2008) The Language of Things. London: Penguin Group, pp. 80. ILLUSTRATIONS AND DRAWINGS: All illustrations, drawings and sketches by Rory Hudson