Nurturing Nature
By Jade & Kaia
Kaia
Thesis
Nurturing Nature explores balancing routine with flexibility through furniture. Modular furniture presents a choice to users between frequent reconfiguration or keeping a piece static. This project will physically represent this choice through a custom piece of furniture, encouraging users to reflect on their relationship with modularity.
Kaia
Modularity
Kaia
modular furniture presents people with the option between continuously utilizing the modularity and constantly changing around their furniture, or messing around with the modularity a bit, then finding a way they like the furniture and keeping it that way permanently. we wanted to create a physical representation of that
Growth & Time
Jade
Early Sketches
Kaia
we did lots of sketching in the beginning of our process to aid us in figuring out the logistics of our concept. one of the main things we decided was what type of furniture would we be building, and we picked shelving. part of the reason we picked shelving is because we didn't want the selves to just be functional but also to be used to create sort of wall mosaics and shelves
- why shelving
Design Elements
Modular
Flexible
Interactive
Early Prototypes
Kaia
some of the feedback we got on our early prototypes was that they were sort of giving a sharp vibe and it was a contrast between the flowing growing vines
Revision
Jade
Storyboard
Kaia
Final Iteration
Kaia
for our final iteration we landed on a dovetail and peg attachment system
Fabrication Overview
The shelves are made from layers of plywood to create a cookie cutter aesthetic. To achieve this we need to cut sixteen identical layers, then align, glue, and clamp the shelf together. Misalignment in cutting or gluing could make the modular pins useless, ruining the shelf.
Jade
Wood Cutting
Pattern Routing
CNC Routing
- Slow
- Inaccurate
- At NuVu
- Fast
- Very Accurate
- Not at NuVu
Jade
CNC Cutting
Jade
Final Assembly
Jade
Jade
Reflection
- Explored furniture design
- Explored integrating nature in design
- Learned to use CNC machining
Nurturing Nature explores balancing routine with flexibility through furniture. Modular furniture presents a choice to users between frequent reconfiguration or keeping a piece static. This project will physically represent this choice through a custom piece of furniture, encouraging users to reflect on their relationship with modularity.