Category
Product Design
Behavioural Research
Small-Batch Production
Overview
Kitchen roll holders tend to be treated as purely functional: usually a wooden base with a pole, no wonder it's always tucked into the corner of the kitchen.
Orbit reimagines this overlooked object as something people might actually want to keep out.
A terrazzo-pattern Jesmonite base holds marbles that spin around the base, adding a small and slightly unnecessary moment of play to an everyday routine.
Role
Independent Project
2 months
Tools
Physical Prototyping
Jesmonite Casting
Design from Observation
A Look Inside People’s Kitchens
I performed a highly invasive operation: I took a look inside nine kitchens across 6 cities and 4 countries, spanning different incomes and living situations: family homes, student flats, shared houses and people living alone.
Kitchen roll was everywhere, but its holder felt like an afterthought. In the few kitchens that had one, it was just a base and a pole. So boring.
No wonder why everyone wants it tucked in a corner.
Could I design one that people actually wanted to leave on their counters?
What I Found
First Thought Sketch
1:5 Plasticine
1:5 PLA 3D Print
Assembly Sketch
Final Prototype!
So, what could a kitchen roll holder be?
1:10 Jesmonite Base
Riffs Coffee | 5a Normand Rd, London W14 9PT
Not Just A Shop Exhibition | October 2024
