Mattheus Ruaro Santos Casagrande
BA Furniture & Product Design
I am inspired by the way an artist's work can evolve over the course of their life - a journey that can be enjoyed by many. This year I've enjoyed working with other companies for the commercial project and hope to work more with established brands in the future.
Colouring Away
This product is a simple desk design meant to be used in conjunction with a sofa to provide the user with a sense of comfort. Colouring and drawing have been shown as methods to reduce one's anxiety by relaxing the brain with simple tasks. By making a piece that can hold those materials, It creates a safe space for someone to relax.
The angled top additionally serves as a method to reduce having to hunch over as well as a method to reduce visual distortion that would be created from viewing the page at a flat angle. It contains simple fixtures along the outside to store books and related items such as pens and pencils to make it easier on the user to sit down and colour without having to gather supplies, giving them more time to work through their anxiety using a creative method. The corners are also rounded off to make the product feel softer. It is crafted from simple birch plywood pinned with dominos favouring function over aesthetics.
Hidden Picture
Hidden Picture' is a metal box coated in leather, designed to store and showcase photos. It also stores small, easily lost objects, allowing them to be portable throughout the office space. It is inspired by a faux book as a method to store the boxes and uses the spines to identify individuals. And as such, it takes the shape of a hollow book.
The box is crafted using pineapple leather bound to sheets of steel to allow for it to be magnetic. The metal is folded inwards to produce a simple box shape, whilst the friction hinge holds the heavy lid.
Sandwiched between the leather bound plates, the box is coated in white to better mimic a bookps design. Its goal is to remain in the office and be transferred from desk to desk in a constantly changing setting as an alternative to carrying around picture frames that take up space or plants that can leave dirt behind when moved.