Keep your Kitchen Basic - Product line

KEEP YOUR KITCHEN

BASIC

Design Meets Handicap

DESIGN MEETS

HANDICAP Free University of Bolzano-Bozen Faculty of Design and Arts SS 2022

Prof. Klaus Hackl Prof. Riccardo Berrone Prof. Giacomo Festi Project documentation of Martina Monterisi 2

Weniger, aber besser

LESS, BUT BETTER Dieter Rams

List of contents 6 Abstract 8 Preface 15 Design sprint 1 14 16 20 24

Excursion to Val venosta Inspiration and research Design process Final project

33 Design sprint 2 34 36 40 48

Excursion to Dietenheim Inspiration and research Design process Final project

54 Conclusions

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Design Meets Handicap

ABSTRACT

The art of project development requires a long and complex process, often consisting of numerous fundamental but not always considered phases in order to succeed.

This process is specifically composed of endless ideas, materials, experiments and researches before leading up to the conclusion. “The Wooden Set” and “Skiaccio” were given birth at the end of two different designing processes, both of which aimed to create kitchenware enhancing their production area and tradition.

The main theme of the whole process has been “Design meets handicap”: this aimed to make students from the Free university of Bolzano-Bozen collaborate whith the “Protected workshops for people with disabilities” of Prad and Latsch in Val Venosta, for designing new products and creating activities to pitch to both structures.

What makes those two products stand out above all else on the market is the particular care in choosing materials, testing production processes personally, step by step, to fulfill all the needs and the attentions required by the laboratories which collaborate with us. Details from both projects follow:

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Abstract

The Wooden Set is a family of three kitchen tools that take inspiration from the traditional wooden spoon, the basis of every Italian, and not only, kitchen. All the elements are made of beech wood, the most used material for products which have contact with food. The set includes a spatula shaped tool with particular holes and semi holes to taste different dishes. It follows a rounded and angled one useful to reach different spots, with some holes to measure long pasta. The last tool is a kitchen tong with a smooth edge and a fork-like edge, useful not only for picking pieces but also salads. The development of this product aims to project an easier production process and to use materials that are local, or at least regional.

“Skiaccio” presents itself as an alternative to the classic mortar, breaking away from tradition thanks to its geometry. In this product, two simple shapes, such as cube and sphere intersect to create the final utensil. The pestle is also included in the object, which has its own dedicated place for storage without being lost. The development of this project aims to use materials that have a local provenance to enhance the area in which it is produced and at the same time try to reduce the emissions associated with production.

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Design Meets Handicap

PREFACE

Behind every design process conceals a wide-ranging study of all the possible dynamics of the product, which could be related to the object’s life cycle, to the material’s choice, the development of a certain shape, the reason behind a detail and many others. The designer nowadays not only holds a creative role, but should be also able to analyze a very broad range of behaviors of products and customers, whereas also the production phase should be included.

Among all the possible fields of deepening I would like to introduce the concepts of Sustainable product design (SPD) and Design for sustainability (DFS), which I consider both extremely ongoing and fundamental in every design process. In fact nowadays it’s impossible not to consider the environmental impact that could be caused by the production of a new object and its following introduction on the market.

“The designer has to make the ‘right’ green decisions during the design process - and therefore should be aware of the significant environmental aspects of every new product. (…) In order to evaluate the significant environmental aspects of a product it is not enough to consider only materials. In addition the whole product function and product system have to be taken into account: a lot of products cause their main environmental impact during their usage.” 1

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Preface

From this abstract we can understand how crucial it is for the designer in the whole designing process to already imagine the entire product’s life cycle in order to have a wide overview of all the possibilities and solutions. To reach a more sustainable product design there are some considerations to take into account such as the definition of the product life cycle, the potential environmental impact, the requirements of stakeholders and companies, and last but not least, the concentration on the product function.

As stated in Frei’s research, understanding and defining the function of the product should be the first aspect to consider and deepen. Even the American architect Louis Sullivan who stated “form follows function” reminds us of the importance of having a clear and fixed idea of the function of a product before starting to visualize and realize it.

To get into more detail, it is also useful observing the birth of the recent concept of Design for sustainability (DFS), which could be considered slightly more significant compared to the idea of SPD. “Sustainable products are defined as being socially responsible as well as eco efficient. In DFS the local community is also regarded as a stakeholder to be considered in the social life cycle assessment (S-LCA). (…) Thus, product development that meets local needs is important for global manufacturing companies and local communities.” 2

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Design Meets Handicap

In the realization of both design sprints the choice of materials has not been casual. It came after thinking of how much the transportation of materials needed for the production is polluting. Wood is for sure a very diffuse material, but each country, or better, each territory has its own varieties. So why not to use and enhance the local resources? This action, in its smallness, would not for sure change the global environmental situation but is already a contribution, which also enables to help local economies and markets instead of global ones. Another important approach to our products finds its definition into “Glocalization”, that describes the localization of an original product for a specific region, which efficiently enhances product variety and that could be achieved by bringing minor changes or customizations of an already existing product.

All those concepts could be easily recalled analyzing the development of both The Wooden Set and Skiaccio: on one hand they try to keep up with the new aesthetic trends but one the other hand they still reflect the values and the traditions of the territory in which they will be produced.

To conclude this preface I’d like to mention the Reverse Engineering approach for redesigning processes analyzed in Kobayashi’s text, which states:

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Preface

“The approach consists of steps including investigation and function analysis through product teardown and comparing with customer requirements. Based on a reference product, a designer modifies the product function and structure and adds a new technology to meet customer’s needs.” 2 I found this methodology particularly close to the phases passed during the redesign process of the mortar. Overall is applicable to the design sprint 1 too, as it describes and suggests a clear workflow, which I personally already enacted during both paths despite being unaware of this case of study.

All those elements are finally an integrating and fundamental part of the whole project development, which will be presented step by step in the following pages.

“Eco-effective product design: the contribution of environmental design” - Dr. Michael Frei 2 “Perspectives on sustainable product design - Methodology focused on local communities” - Hideki Kobayashi 1

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Cooking natural keeping traditions

DESIGN SPRINT 1 13

Design Meets Handicap

Excursion to Vinshgau - Val Venosta

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Design sprint 1 - The Wooden Set

Visit to Latch Workshops

Visit to Prad building

During the excursion we had the chance to visit the workshops for people with disability, where the projects should be realized. One of the main buildings is in Latsch. In those workshops people learn not only to work with machinery but also everyday activities such as gardening, cooking or keeping a space clean and in order.

In the building located in Prad there are workshops with the aim of developing handcraft skills and of stimulating creativity. Works as painting, wicker weaving, ceramic or knitting are just some of the activities of this structure. Contrary to what I thought, one main aspect for their work is the seriality: for the workers is indeed better to learn and repeat one single workflow than several together.

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Design Meets Handicap

Inspiration and research

Source material: The wooden spoon The wooden spoon has always been on our tables: in the past it started been used as table spoon but nowadays is an integral part of our preparations in the kitchen.

Stories said that the peculiarty of this tool consists in its material: the wood.

This should keep all the flavours of the past preparations, giving than taste to all the future dishes.

In effect it should be washed with anything than water.

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Design sprint 1 - The Wooden Set

First ideas and sketches The first idea consisted in the realization of a simple and classic wooden spoon for cooking, an object that still today is used world wide.

The final product would have been the same but the project would have focused on the creation of specific

tools to recreate the cavity of the spoon and to give roundness tho the handle, using just sand paper.

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Design Meets Handicap

Market analysis

Traditionals

The most known kitchen tools are mainly realized in wood. Traditionally they are made out of solid wood, especially beech, because is considered the best typology for object that will have contact with food. Recently also more sophisticated essences such as tek or also bamboo are choosed for those realizations.

New Materials

Nowadays is possible to find kitchen tools in many other materials, first of all stainless steel. Also, new plastic materelias entered this world too, for instance silicone or BPA-free nylon.

The Morrison set

This set designed by Jasper Morrison for the Alessi Company is particularly inspirational, because it’s completely flat and has no concavities while the function of the single tool is only suggested by its shape.

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Design sprint 1 - The Wooden Set

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Design Meets Handicap

Design process

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Design sprint 1 - The Wooden Set

The study of shapes The main question before starting designing those products was one and crucial: what makes your wooden tools different from all the other?

This was quite hard to answer also to myself and this made the whole process much difficult than I thought. The path I choose to take was playing with the geometrical forms that the already existing products suggested. In particular were taken into account very basic kitchen tools with simple and recognizable shapes.

The process started with the tracing of the recurrent shapes in the chosen reference objects. Then continued with the realization of some cardbord models, which have been modified and redesigned during the revisions. Those paper models established the starting point of all the modeling phase.

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Design Meets Handicap

To peek in the creative process

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Design sprint 1 - The Wooden Set

Prototyping The first plywood model was made completely by hand to test the actual feasibility and ease of the product. It turned out to be a good basis to work with. In fact very minimal changes has been made from this first model. It has been also useful to understand better as the production phases as the limits and problems of the object.

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Design Meets Handicap

The final project

The Wooden Set Concept At the basis of the realization of this project is the will to enhance the traditional component that denotes all those objects defined as “classic”. More specifically in the case of “The Wooden Set” the aim is to merge tradition in the kitchen with innovation of shapes and details in the objects in question. Such traditional products in fact also carry with them a strong emotional aspect, linked to memory. I personally tried to close my eyes and just at the first contact with the material and the shapes, in my mind a series of scenes linked to the kitchen, people, smells and stories followed one another.

The concept of this product is also developed on a creative level, as the focus was not to create something completely new and never seen before, but rather to work on an existing base by trying to enhance some of its features and create new details that would not completely transform the starting object. It is in fact very difficult to introduce a completely new product onto the market, both because it would mean creating a product trust from scratch and because, from a more subjective point of view, when it comes to classics people are often not ready to change habits completely or test new tools.

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Design sprint 1 - The Wooden Set

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Design Meets Handicap

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Design sprint 1 - The Wooden Set

Enunciative reading of the object

Tool 1 “The spoon”

This particular tool can act as a spatula and as a spoon. The interpretation and consequent use of this object is left to the user, as it can be used in different scenarios.

Tool 2 “The spatula”

This particular tool as a doubled ending: an angled one for baking tins and a rounded one designed especially for reaching the most difficult spots of pots.

Tool 3 “The tong”

Those kitchen tongs are purposely made with bigger endings, beacuse many and many times we need a tool that could pick up also bigger dishes.

A wider grip is also easier to handle and to use.

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Design Meets Handicap

Focus on details

The semi-spheres

In this object the smaller holes act on water when trying to taste pasta, letting it slide away. The bigger semi-spheres are meant instead to hold back sauces, that due to their density would not pass through, enabling tasting.

The holes

Also, the two holes are not casual, because they present two specific diameters intended to measure spaghetti, or long pasta, for one person or two people.

The fork edge

In particular, one of the two sides is brushed, so that it could also fulfil the role of the salad tools commonly used.

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Design sprint 1 - The Wooden Set

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Design Meets Handicap

Technical drawings

Name Category: Material: Dimensions:

The Wooden Set Kitchen tools Beech wood l: 80 mm h: 290 mm w: 5 mm

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Design sprint 1 - The Wooden Set

Narrative reading of the object Once the object’s features are known, we can analyze some scenarios in they act as subject (S) or object (O).

Action: Roles: Values:

staple/pick up User (S), Tong (O), Food (medium) picking up the food to be mixed, turned or change its location without touching

Action: Roles: Values:

Cut and pick up User (S), Spatula (O), Food (medium) Cutting and than transport food without spoiling the pan

Action: Roles: Values:

Taste User (S), Spoon (O), Soup/ Sauce (medium) Taste the sauce without making a mess

Action: Roles: Values:

Storage Tools (S), Hanger/drawer (Object-location) Being stored occupying the less amount of space

Narrative reading of the object Why this and not that? Nowadays, there are many modern and innovative materials to create kitchen tools. Each material, however, carries its own pros and cons, which in the end put all objects on an equal level, without establishing the best one. Here we look at some of the choices made designing the different pieces of The Wooden Set. Spatula: This choice allows the same functionality, while simflat and plifying the production process. Spatulas with not bent a slightly bent end help lifting certain pieces easily, but this functionality is now possible by shortening the length of the spatula and widening the support space.

Tong: This feature of the kitchen tong lies in its wider ends wide and compared to classic ones. It enables not only to lift not thin larger quantities and higher weights, but also to avoid spoiling what is being picked up, which often happens with tongs with very thin or almost pointed ends. This feature is also retained in the handle, so that maximum force can be applied with minimum effort in the closing and gripping movement.

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DESIGN SPRINT 2 33

Design Meets Handicap

Excursion to Dietenheim Folklore Museum

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Design sprint 2 - Skiaccio

Deep in the history The Folklore Museum was opened in 1980 and is one of the oldest regional museum in South Tyrol. Since the opening some other old buildings were transferred to a site of over three hectares and in 1985 the baroque Mair am Hof residence with its associated farm building was integrated into the existing museum. The South Tyrolean Folklore Museum is not an open-air or farm museum in the strict sense. The museum’s founder

and director for many years, Dr. Hans Grießmair, pursued a social and historical course from the outset, showing the different lives, living conditions and economic situations. What I liked the most was in fact the opportunity to compare in real time the differences between the social classes of that time, exploring in particular the fundamental and common objects, with their production techniques, used in all the houses and farms.

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Design Meets Handicap

Inspiration and research

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Design sprint 2 - Skiaccio

Source material: The mortar The inspiration for the ideation of the mortar “Skiaccio” comes from the very basic tools of which the Dietenheim Folklore Museum of South Tyrol was full. During the whole visit we had the chance to get in touch with goods of every kind dating back to the XV-XIII centuries.

In those times most of the tools, from objects for working to objects for the house, were made out of wood, as it was the first resource (found) within the South Tyrol. In second place what surprised me the most was the simplicity of the tools and of their processings. From this point starts the research and inspiration process.

The attention switches therefore on one particular object detected during the trip: a metal mortar used to smash medical herbs in the XVII century. This tool, with its function and its shapes immediately reminds the current mortars used not only for cooking preparation but also and still to grind herbs and spices. The idea was then to reproduce this object using local woods and trying to be as simple as possible in the production, playing with simple geometrical shapes and details.

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Design Meets Handicap

Market analysis

Antique models

In the past the mortar was used manily in medicine. The oldest models were realized out of brass. This material made the mortar particularly heavy, which could seem good for the pestel efficiency but not for the fluency of wrist movements. Moreover brass is not one of the best materials when thinking of contact with food.

100% Wood

Mortars in wood are quite diffuse nowadays, in different shapes and essences. The most recent are made also out of bamboo, which appears quite unusual when for objects that require solid wood.

The modern ones

Looking at the last trends concerning kitchenware we can observe that stone objects are today the most required ones. Stone, granite and marble are by now the most required materials, both for aesthetics as for functionality and durability.

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Design sprint 2 - Skiaccio

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Design Meets Handicap

Design Process

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Design sprint 2 - Skiaccio

The first idea

and why not

In the beginning I thought about a mortar with a basement in which the main body and the pestle could have been stored. This base piece would also have no-slip properties, useful during the smashing phase.

But from an objective point of view it was too difficult to produce, as both the main pieces needed the use of lathe, which is not used in the Vinschgau workshops. The three pieces together were also too massive and needed also a large waste of wood.

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Design Meets Handicap

The second idea The second idea came out completely different. Here the concept of the merging of shapes was born. The main focus became being as simple and clean as possible, reducing also the amount of wood needed for the production. So the main body of the half of a cube with a sphere inscribed

and the pestle a cylinder. This piece came with a blunt edge and a larger cap to hold better the pestle, having a better grip to take it out of the hole and to prevent it to slide down from the hole. But this last feature was actulally not necessary.

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Design sprint 2 - Skiaccio

Front view

Upper view

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Design Meets Handicap

Prototyping

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Design sprint 2 - Skiaccio

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Design Meets Handicap

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Design sprint 2 - Skiaccio

The third idea The third prototype presented very few changes. First of all the removal of the cap of the pestle, which has been replaced by an engraving on the cylinder to facilitate the grip. On a second plane came right after the milling on the face of the main body

of a cutting, always to let the pestle come better out. Then followed in addition the creation of a drain invitation to pour better the mixture and of a hollow to place the pestle when dirty while using it.

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Design Meets Handicap

The final project

Skiaccio Concept Skiaccio was born from an antique brass mortar found in the collection of the Dietenheim Museum. In this case, the starting object was fundamental as it was followed by a redesign process that considered and used a series of ethnographic issues and questions related to it as strength points. Why does the pestle not have a designated place to be in order? Where can I put the pestle when it’s dirty or while using it? Why is pouring the mixture always so messy and difficult? Is metal the safest and best material or are there other possibilities?

All these questions are answered in the final object, where the shapes contribute despite their basicness to solving every problem. In contrast to the design sprint 1, Skiaccio does not present any kind of detail, but rather focuses on simplicity and clarity, trying to keep the shapes unaltered but at the same time functional. The last question only encouraged the reconfirmation of the choice of wood for the final design, which is considered one of the safest and most durable materials in the culinary field, although it needs more care and attention. This mortar is intended to convey on the one hand a sense of purity, through the sharp edges in the base and the use of basic geometric shapes, and on the other hand safety, as it is composed of a rather massive base that gives more stability during use.

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Design sprint 2 - Skiaccio

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Design Meets Handicap

Technical drawings

Name Category: Material: Dimensions:

Skiaccio Kitchen tools Beech wood l: 350 mm h: 80 mm w: 350 mm 50

Design sprint 2 - Skiaccio

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Design Meets Handicap

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Design sprint 2 - Skiaccio

Enunciative reading of the object

The engraving

The ring engraved on the pestle is meant to help people with two different situations. First of all to have a grip point whent taking it out of its hole. Sescondly, to help understanding on wich side of the pestle the handle is.

Oiled/not oiled

Looking carefully at the object you can notice two different shades of the wood: all the exterior is a bit darker, due to the oil, while the interior is not.

The same happens in the pestle. That means that the two rough parts are the ones which will be in contact with the food.

The form

The cubic form of the product gives to it different advantages. On one hand provides enough space to lean the pestle on its surface while using it.

On the other hand allows a nice pouring of the mixture without draining off. Furthermore gives a great stability during the smashing process.

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Design Meets Handicap

CONCLUSIONS

Why should I choose exactly those products instead of others? What makes them worth the expenses? Why are the tools so bulky? Wouldn’t the products get ruined in a short time? Will I be able to take care of them?Why the pestle does not have a designated place to be in order?

Where can I put the pestle when it’s dirty or while using it?

Why pouring my pesto is always so messy and difficult?

Those are just some of the many ethnographical questions that emerged after showing the products to people. After a long process I’m able to dispel any doubts.

It is always very challenging to convince a buyer to choose your product, as the factors influencing this decision are numerous, often subjective. More importantly, no matter how good you may be at selling a product, the final word will always be up to the person on the other side and their ability to understand everything that lies behind that object. If we consider The Wooden Set and Skiaccio there would certainly be many reasons to choose them, here are my favourite ones. One trait I have really appreciated and learned to appreciate is simplicity, what Dieter Rams summarize in the concept ‘Less, but better’. The addition of a detail is not always decisive in the success of a product and it is not always necessary to try to create something

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Conclusions

never seen before. Sometimes simplicity and purity of forms characterize an object much more than an outstanding element. Simplicity is also evident in the choice of material: wood. It conveys so many emotions and so many memories, it is a bearer of stories, its grains and nuances are sufficient to make each piece unique and non-reproducible. On the other hand, another aspect crucial aspect to me is the issue of product sustainability, which has been explored in the area of “local” concept and reduction of the emissions for the transport of materials.

Both objects try to enhance the tradition that lays in them and the place where they are produced. This is precisely why the visit to the museum in Dieteheim proved essential.

The two different design phases resulted in a single product line that shares the same characteristics and purposes. All this should be enough to make a conscious choice about the products we generally choose.

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Bibliography and webography • • • • • • • •

“Eco-effective product design: the contribution of environmental design” - Dr. Michael Frei “Perspectives on sustainable product design - Methodology focused on local communities” - Hideki Kobayashi “Making design work. Sustainability, Product design and Social Equity” - Stuart Walker and Ed Dorsa “Eco-innovations: a novel phenomenon?” - Glenn Johansson and Thomas Magnusson “Forms follows function” - https://www.guggenheim.org/ teaching-materials/the-architecture-of-the-solomon-r-guggenheim-museum/form-follows-function Research materials from https://scholar.google.com Photos for market analisis from https://www.google.it and https://www.amazon.it “Bewahrte Volkskultur” - Hans Griessmair

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Cooking natural keeping traditions

Free University of Bolzano-Bozen - Faculty of Design and Arts Design Meets Handicap - Project product design SS 2022 Prof. Klaus Hackl, Prof. Riccardo Berrone, Prof. Giacomo Festi The Wooden Set and Skiaccio - Projects by Martina Monterisi Printed at Free University of Bolzano-Bozen