Mahogany, BrassProduct Design Thesis Project 2023
Bringing Magical Realism to the realm of Product Design through a series of pieces designed to be assembled in multiple different ways by solving riddles.
BEASTS OF GOLD, ENIGMAS OF OLD
2023
With the collaboration of Jackie McVorran and Bucky Baldwin two riddles were written inspired by magical realism to substitute assembly intructions for these two pieces, keeping in mind that the assembly possibilities could potentially be limitless given the joinery’s versatility allowing for further exploration.
1ST GENERATION
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RIDDLE 1:
Two lovers bound by hearts of gold, sought to find a home. With little money they trampled across the brush, landing on a plain –a house to be built– they put up some stilts, and foundation laid, their hearts of gold had home to claim.
Standing squarely in a moonlit night the lovers silhouettes became one, a branch in the family tree had sprouted. They held that branch from heart to heart and in their dance a little house was founded.
Settled down the lovers had two twins, of equal height, strength, and might they roamed the house with luminescent bright and golden hair, it must’ve been those hearts of gold that made their heads so fair. Their parents called them “little wheat” and in the streets, the people often stared.
Although their height barely reached their parents’ chests, they held the house and the lovers got to rest.
The two lovers had stepped up to a new phase of life– as their kids found husband and wife– their hearts still glowed but time would show their eyes would tell their story. Looking ahead they built again, holding hands and working purposefully—never letting go— hands conjoined the house was finished, a second roof to show.
A second story, they had learned to make it tall and sturdy. And from the top of their tower– new life had sprouted– a swaying sunflower. So their story is told: with little money, eyes that shone, hands held firm, and hearts of gold, a task completed, from young to old.
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RIDDLE 1:
Two lovers bound by hearts of gold, sought to find a home. With little money they trampled across the brush, landing on a plain –a house to be built– they put up some stilts, and foundation laid, their hearts of gold had home to claim.
Standing squarely in a moonlit night the lovers silhouettes became one, a branch in the family tree had sprouted. They held that branch from heart to heart and in their dance a little house was founded.
Settled down the lovers had two twins, of equal height, strength, and might they roamed the house with luminescent bright and golden hair, it must’ve been those hearts of gold that made their heads so fair. Their parents called them “little wheat” and in the streets, the people often stared.
Although their height barely reached their parents’ chests, they held the house and the lovers got to rest.
The two lovers had stepped up to a new phase of life– as their kids found husband and wife– their hearts still glowed but time would show their eyes would tell their story. Looking ahead they built again, holding hands and working purposefully—never letting go— hands conjoined the house was finished, a second roof to show.
A second story, they had learned to make it tall and sturdy. And from the top of their tower– new life had sprouted– a swaying sunflower. So their story is told: with little money, eyes that shone, hands held firm, and hearts of gold, a task completed, from young to old.
2ND GENERATION
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RIDDLE 2:
One day, after the two lovers had passed away, and the twins’ hair turned faded gray, a storm came around and knocked the house down– a saddening display. “We built this town!” said the twins to the people.“Won’t you please help us fix our house?” all day they pleaded and pleaded. The townspeople banded together to work on the new house, though the first design could not be repeated. The next night, the storm came back, and shook the shack until it was depleted.
The twins were devastated, and so too was the town, it seemed there was a target on the house, when the storm came around. “Go to the magic man,” a townsperson said with insistence. So they trekked through the brush as their parents once did, a hole in the mountain was where the magic man lived.
With their new wisdom they walked back to the plain, the townspeople gathered as the twins got to work, fearing yet another storm would uproot the twins’ turf.
They built sideways, starting above the lovers’ graves –a place where flowers now sprouted– placing one story, then the second, standing shoulder to shoulder, the twins waited for the final piece.
“The magic man told us to paint eyes on the rear of our home– staring into the storm; we won’t let it scare us out of our house, our family built this town, and no storm can take us out!”
And so the final piece was placed, two planks of painted wood, eyes without a face. Hand in hand the people joined the twins as they pushed the house ninety degrees, standing tall.
They laughed and awed and filled the house with glee. The storm had returned, but was quickly found leaving, as the magic man warned: it feared the houses perceiving. That night the two twins passed away, their golden locks shone, brighter than ever, a warm light that filled the home, they slumbered together.
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RIDDLE 2:
One day, after the two lovers had passed away, and the twins’ hair turned faded gray, a storm came around and knocked the house down– a saddening display. “We built this town!” said the twins to the people.“Won’t you please help us fix our house?” all day they pleaded and pleaded. The townspeople banded together to work on the new house, though the first design could not be repeated. The next night, the storm came back, and shook the shack until it was depleted.The twins were devastated, and so too was the town, it seemed there was a target on the house, when the storm came around. “Go to the magic man,” a townsperson said with insistence. So they trekked through the brush as their parents once did, a hole in the mountain was where the magic man lived.
With their new wisdom they walked back to the plain, the townspeople gathered as the twins got to work, fearing yet another storm would uproot the twins’ turf.
They built sideways, starting above the lovers’ graves –a place where flowers now sprouted– placing one story, then the second, standing shoulder to shoulder, the twins waited for the final piece.
“The magic man told us to paint eyes on the rear of our home– staring into the storm; we won’t let it scare us out of our house, our family built this town, and no storm can take us out!”
And so the final piece was placed, two planks of painted wood, eyes without a face. Hand in hand the people joined the twins as they pushed the house ninety degrees, standing tall.
They laughed and awed and filled the house with glee. The storm had returned, but was quickly found leaving, as the magic man warned: it feared the houses perceiving. That night the two twins passed away, their golden locks shone, brighter than ever, a warm light that filled the home, they slumbered together.
DESIGN PROCESS
Born as a contraposition to post-modernism in a climate of political instability and antidemocratic regimes, Magical Realism was born in an attempt to celebrate and highlight Latin American culture. Using hyperboles, metaphors, and allegories. Epic stories that contrapose social grievance with fantastic experimentation.
I wanted to create an homage to the genre of Magical Realism that represents so much of the world I grew up in, Latin America. I just needed to find the correct way to present this world to people through my craft of furniture.
I wanted to create an homage to the genre of Magical Realism that represents so much of the world I grew up in, Latin America. I just needed to find the correct way to present this world to people through my craft of furniture.
I began by doing research on the realm of making, why is it that we love something so much when we make it ourselves? Studies, such as “The Ikea Effect” have shown that the value of things grows significantly when you make them yourself, the idea that labor leads to love. Yet still, whether it’s a tool you don’t have, confusing instructions, or missing pieces, so many people despise building Ikea furniture.
I never understood why people hate building furniture, it has always been like a puzzle to me, and who doesn’t like making puzzles?
I never understood why people hate building furniture, it has always been like a puzzle to me, and who doesn’t like making puzzles?
Hence, I took this as a way in, to get people interested in my project, presenting it as a puzzle instead of as a simple piece of furniture might bring people into my way of thinking and generate a different effect when attempting to put the pieces together.
I dug deeper and began researching why people Love puzzles and what the science behind them is. Puzzles stimulate different parts of the brain and activate multiple neurological pathways that we don’t normally use, as well as generating a rush of pleasure once the puzzle is completed.
So I had found a path for my project, I wanted to make a bridge between furniture and puzzles through magical realism and my way of seeing the world.
I dug deeper and began researching why people Love puzzles and what the science behind them is. Puzzles stimulate different parts of the brain and activate multiple neurological pathways that we don’t normally use, as well as generating a rush of pleasure once the puzzle is completed.
So I had found a path for my project, I wanted to make a bridge between furniture and puzzles through magical realism and my way of seeing the world.
Ideation n1: Chair & Side Table - 8 pieces![]()
Ideation n2: Step Stool & Shelf - 8 pieces
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I knew I wanted to make a piece that could have
multiple possible outcomes out of the same base
pieces, so my exploration began.
multiple possible outcomes out of the same base
pieces, so my exploration began.
I needed a friendly and approachable joinery system.
Using Legos as an easy way to make joinery that could be assembled and disassembled in no time was the perfect way to create quick mockups to test my concept.
PROTOTYPE NO 1
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Cherry and Legos prototype to test the concept.
User testing was a success, people were intrigued by my pieces and wanted to solve the riddle that went with them
to build the first possible structure. Not everyone was able to solve it, however people wanted to explore other possible connections with the pieces and make their own creations.
to build the first possible structure. Not everyone was able to solve it, however people wanted to explore other possible connections with the pieces and make their own creations.
PROTOTYPE NO 2
The Legos
I noticed that by using existing Legos it was hard to accommodate all the joinery needed to be able to make the two structures I had in mind with enough stability to
sustain any amount of weight. Therefore, I designed my own “Legos”.
The Wood Pieces
I continued the design trying to make different structures that could be used as shelves to eliminate the weight constraint of being able to support human weight. I added one more piece for more stability and dove into the process of creating my own joinery pieces.
While working in the joinery I began adapting the wood pieces to communicate the Magical Realism narrative. Since rectangles and rough edges appeared too minimalistic.
Nine pieces with specially designed joinery that can be assembled into multiple different structures through the use of riddles instead of instructions.
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Five generations of structures, as you go down the family tree they get more abstracted and the riddles get more complex. For this project, I focused on perfecting the two first structures and their riddles, however, more shapes can be obtained through experimentation since the joinery accommodates multiple different connections. Just as in One Hundred Years of Solitude, the story follows the family through the different generations as the tragedies of the family get more and more absurd.
Five generations of structures, as you go down the family tree they get more abstracted and the riddles get more complex. For this project, I focused on perfecting the two first structures and their riddles, however, more shapes can be obtained through experimentation since the joinery accommodates multiple different connections. Just as in One Hundred Years of Solitude, the story follows the family through the different generations as the tragedies of the family get more and more absurd.
Generation 1
Generation 2