crater bowl
the crater bowl was created as part of the minn brand product line.
minn is my brand of furniture, home goods, and accessories. it is based on the philosophy of min(n)imalism : where I take what we know as minimalism but add meaning and character to it. based on memories, min(n)imalism brings warmth and nostalgia to a minimal, simplistic aesthetic.
to see more on minn, visit www.minnbrand.com
the story
People will always have a place they call home. And what makes it home are the objects that fill it.
When I think of home, I imagine the blue house with the tower and witch’s hat that I’ve lived in my whole life. My childhood was made in that house. From the structure itself and all its character, to each of the rooms filled with meaningful objects, to my family who experienced it all with me, so many memories have been made in that house. And those memories have influenced who I am today.
Memories take us back to another time. Each memory has its own reason for sticking around in our minds. We are able to reminisce on these memories and use them to inspire how we live our lives in the present day. Memories are something to stay true to. As we all keep moving forward, eager to jump on the latest bandwagon, we shouldn’t lose ourselves. If we make meaningful memories to cherish and hold on to, then we are able to find ourselves and find happiness in whatever comes our way. All we have to do is be reminded. Physical objects that are connected to a space that holds a place in your heart is one way of recalling these memories.
the blue house on the corner with the tower and witch’s hat, otherwise known to me as home
By filling our homes with objects of our choosing, it becomes a place that we want to spend time in. It becomes an extension of ourselves and creates links between products, experiences, and memories that then allow us to reminisce and be inspired.
All in all, it’s a cycle. For me, it began with the products experienced within the walls of my home. The big blue chair that my brother and I would stack all the cushions from the couch on and then climb to the top, only to slide back down to the bottom. The hundreds of Dixie cups that we would make into a perfectly balanced tower reaching all the way from the ground floor to the second floor banister. The large wooden dining table that I would crawl under to play Barbies, my imagination transforming it into her mansion. Products are meant to be touched, used, worn, experienced. It is from these experiences that connections are built and lasting memories are made. It is from these experiences that meaning is brought to inanimate objects.
Through these meaningful memories we can then be inspired. We can use our memories in our favor to make connections between our past, present, and future. Knowing where we’ve been and where we’re going will build our character and help us in working to have a happy life.
A new, meaningful product is the result of this journey from experience to memory to inspiration. And it’s these products which then begin the cycle all over again. Since my childhood had such a positive impact on my life, it only makes sense that it should inspire my work. I believe the memories I’ve made, which have been so influential in making me the person I am today, should be shared.
Therefore, nostalgia and the power of making memories has become the basis for my brand, the story behind the philosophy. I hope that I am able to use my memories to create beautiful products that others can make memories from and in turn be inspired.
moodboard
inspiration
acting like the floor was lava was a pretty common occurrence in the house of my childhood. my brother and I played in our family room which was a prime location for the game. the placement of the furniture and fireplace hearth allowed us to circle the room with only one pillow needed as a protective stepping stone. the rest was left to our imagination.
we would challenge ourselves to circumvent the volcanic crater in the center of the room and find the tallest peak to seek safety, aka stack all the pillows on top of the chair and sit on it.
development process
to get a quick idea of what this would look like in reality, I turned to the lathe to mock it up
seeing these quick mock ups, I was able to make design decisions and iterate through 3D modeling
my pile of foam samples in order to determine the most pleasing “crater” size and shape
the real deal
bowl blanks were fit into a fixture…
…and individually milled on the Komo router
crater bowls pre- sanding and finishing
the final product
this bowl represents in reality that imaginative crater from my childhood. it is meant to be almost as if the crater was removed and had taken to the shape of the walls.
