The ‘Bent Intentions’ project challenge was to prototype a personal, bent wood product for use in the home that considers humor and/or irony. Final product requirements were that the prototype be laser cut from aircraft plywood, possess simple branding, have the ability to be flat-packed,  fit into an 8.5 x 11 inch envelope for shipping and also contain assembly instructions. Students were allotted 2.5 weeks during regularly schedule classes to address the challenge and present their final concepts for peer and industry review.

Prior to ideating concepts for further development, I created a mood board. This was done by collecting visuals for inspiration that aided in giving the design direction and meaning. The goal was to create a juxtaposition between strength & fragility, sharpness & softness, heaviness & lightness, and through this to achieve a beautiful sense of irony and balance.

I experimented with several different intended uses, from wearable belts, to jewelery and hanging devices before finally deciding its purpose should be to cradle fragile glassware. I experimented with many different shapes and forms before simplifying and paring down to my final form to a sharp, triangular ‘V’ that could be bent to form a pleasing loop.

The final concept strongly represents my initial aims of strength and fragility; the weight of each glass causes the loop to lock down on the base and stem making it impossible for the glass to fall out despite its precarious look. The material appears brittle but is actually quite strong. Lifting the glass relieves the tension on the loop allowing the glass to be easily removed. Loops can be linked together to configure the hanger in several ways.

Abraided is flat-packed inside a triangular leaflet that contains the pieces of the product. The leaflet serves as its branding, folds out to reveal assembly instructions and would be encased in a biodegradable clear plastic to keep all pieces together. As a result, the final concept could be easily stored, stacked and shipped with a minimum of packing waste or added expense.

The instructions themselves contain universal symbols to aid in assembly and would contain a link to additional instructions available in multiple languages online.

The configurable nature of the loops endows it with several unique uses: table decoration, cutlery holders, cork cradle, napkin holders and glass jewelry. The form is beautiful enough and simple enough to create a unique table setting in any home.