Challenge
The challenge here was to create a product using only aluminum sheets. No other direction was given and it was creative's choice to decide what type of product each person would create.
I decided to try to solve a problem for myself with this design. As a lover of tea and coffee, I often ran into the issue of teaspoons falling in to my mug or not having a dedicated space to set them aside, leaving extra dishes to clean or wet spots on the table.
Process
Hot beverages evoke a sense of coziness and the idea of spoons enjoying a hot soak in your mug just seemed to make perfect sense. Adding arms would create a hold point from them to grip and prevent them from slipping into your drink.
The process of creating the final design involved many paper prototypes. Each prototype was tested against mugs of different sizes and heights before reaching the final form. Different challenges that were faced included: the length and curve of the arms, how to keep them from sliding, the proportion of the head for a comfortable grip, and the curve of the spoon for shoveling sugar but maintaining a low profile for easy storage.
I have unfortunately lost the sketches and protos created for this project.
Design
These teaspoons are designed to look like figures "hot tubbing" in coffee mugs. Their arms are relaxed and stretched back to grab the edges of the mug, which keep them from falling in or sliding towards you while sipping, but readily available when stirring is required. Set at the center of your coffee table, they sit and wait for you in their tub, which can also function as a napkin holder.
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The set is made from aluminum sheets that are hand cut and then formed with hand tools. The black spoons are then anodized to achieve their color.
The opening within the tub allows space for napkin storage.
