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Contour

A 12-week project exploring material-driven design and product development.

Homeware design and fabrication

Year
2024
Duration
12 weeks
Mentor
Simone Reynolds, Amy Sio-Atoa and Emma Fox
Medium
Wood, Textiles, Research
Context
3rd Year University Project
Link
Campaign for Wool story
Contour

Material Exploration

This course was run in partnership with the New Zealand Campaign for Wool, who provided resources and awarded the top three projects. The first few weeks were spent exploring the qualities of New Zealand strong wool by testing existing fabrication techniques and developing new ones.

A white, knitted textile prototype featuring an embossed floral pattern, shown in a studio setting.
Felt sheet soaked in bio-plastic, stretched and dried.
Felt sheet soaked in bio-plastic, pressed in a 3D printed mold.
Un-processed wool combined with crushed eggshells and bio-plastic.
A finished textile sample showing a repeating embossed pattern, likely used for homeware design.
A small, organic-shaped prototype made of white bioplastic material, displayed on a light surface.

Product Development

After a few weeks of experimenting, a concept began to emerge. To re-imagine blinds using New Zealand strong wool. To utilise wool's inherent properties of temperature regulation, breathability, moisture-wicking, fire retardancy, odour resistance, and noise dampening.

A technical sketch showing the construction of a textile-covered wall hanging using rope and wire elements.
A detailed sketch showing the structure and material layering for the 'Contour' blinds project.
A wooden frame holding several white paper photos, staged on a workbench with textiles.
The material and the mechanics of the product were developed simultaneously, solving problems relating to fabrication, usability, form and function.
Most of the issues that came up boiled down to the triangular fold. I spent days figuring out how the blinds would lie flat and smoothly fold up. I experimented with a side-rail system, but ended up using a dual rope system as it was more flexible for the nature of the triangular fold.
A light-colored textile panel, possibly linen, showing three visible metal grommets for a homeware project.
Several natural-toned textile strips are laid out in a diagonal, layered arrangement for the 'Contour' project.
A light beige, folded textile prototype piece displayed on a plain white background.
A rectangular, unbleached textile sample with visible stitching lines placed on a wooden table.
A curved, stitched textile prototype piece shown in natural light, exploring contour design.
With the decision to make the final textile mono-material, I had to find a way to manipulate the textile to behave as I wanted, only using wool. The final textile sample had woven wool felted to the back, which added substantial structure, helping the folds hold their shape.

Fabrication

A range of fabrication tools and techniques were used to make the final prototype. 

  • Lathe
  • Mill
  • Thicknesser
  • Industrial sewing machine
  • Industrial felter
  • 3D printing 
  • Table saw
  • Buttonhole machine 
  • Sanding + oiling
Three pencil sketches showing different joinery details for a wooden homeware box design.
A light wood prototype panel with three drilled holes is shown on a blue metal grid surface.
A wooden block being routed by a drill press during the fabrication stage of the project.
A close-up view of a woodworking machine with a sanding disc and drill bit, used during the fabrication stage.
A technical sketch showing two elongated wooden forms with dimensions for a homeware product design.
Close-up view of a sewing machine stitching a cream-colored textile prototype for the 'Contour' project.
A flat lay view of wood measurements, textile samples, and design sketches for the Contour project.
Assortment of raw wooden components, including slats and rails, laid out for fabrication.

Final Design

A prototype blind made of natural textile and wood, displayed in a vertical window setting.
A hand adjusts a light-colored textile blind mounted on a wooden frame prototype.
Close-up view of a wooden towel rack prototype featuring simple joinery and metal hardware.
Close-up view of a wooden shelf unit with a textile hanging rod and folded fabric.
A prototype pendant lamp featuring layered wood and draped textile material.
Technical drawing showing top, front, and side views for the 'Contour' homeware project.
A detailed architectural drawing showing the dimensions and structure of the wood and textile shelving unit.
Technical drawing showing the dimensions and views (top, front, left, right, bottom) for the 'Contour' homeware piece.
A prototype of a pleated textile wall hanging, likely made from wool and linen, shown flat.

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